NEWS ANALYSIS
COURT ORDER: New appointee is said to have migrated into the area, drawing criticism from those who would have wished for a resident born in the area to take control
So polarized is the situation that elders from the Ilukumai sub-clan have recalled four of their daughters who were married to the prime movers of the court action in the Ilmokesen clan
A court order stopping the coronation ceremony of George Kiteto Parsitau as an assistant chief has set the stage for the next phase of a vicious and divisive fight that has roped in politicians and set the two major Maasai clans against each other.
The order, given at the Ngong Law Courts on July 1 by Resident Magistrate G. Simatwo, is directed at Parsitau and four other respondents: the Kajiado County Commissioner, his deputy, the Assistant County Commissioner, and David Mopel.
This is in a suit filed by James Kitarian, who has sued the five respondents on behalf of the residents of Kiserian Location in Kajiado County. The area falls in Kajiado West constituency.
The order stops the respondents from “further planning and organizing and holding the coronation ceremony” of Parsitau pending the determination of the suit.
Curiously, the order is silent on the position to which the prohibition is made. It is also silent on the performance of duties of the position. Despite this ambiguity, however, the order can well be assumed to be referring to the position of assistant chief, for which Parsitau already has an appointment letter. The order does not prohibit him from performing the duties of that office but only stops his coronation, which would be merely a ceremony.
The case in court has brought to the fore the intrigues of other persons beyond the actual parties to the suit. The suit has drawn interest from various quarters in the community, with repercussions well beyond the court precincts.
The divisions that have resulted from the suit cut across several levels. First, politicians have entered the fray, with different factions in the county supporting opposing sides. It is said that one faction, allied to Kajiado Governor Joseph ole Lenku, is in favour of the new assistant chief. It is also said the governor had a hand in the appointment, in which area MP George Sunkuyia was not consulted — presumably because he belongs to the rival United Democratic Alliance (UDA) formation of Deputy President William Ruto.
Lenku is vying for a second term as an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) candidate in the Azimio coalition. He is also known to maintain a close relationship with Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, under whom the provincial administration docket falls.
The dispute has also pitted the Orok-kiteng (Black Cow) against the Odomong’i (Red Cow) clans. Critics of the new appointment point out that the administrative leadership has remained in the hands of the former for far too long, without giving an opportunity to the latter to similarly exercise leadership.
Moreover, the new appointee is said to have migrated into the area, drawing criticism from those who would have wished for a resident born in the area to take control.
With the opposing sides having long intermarried and integrated with each other, the dispute has further degenerated into a family spat between the affected sub-clans as well. Members of the Ilukumai sub-clan are bitter that they had to undergo the loss of their livestock that was already slaughtered in readiness for the occasion before the court order was served. Indeed, so polarized is the situation that elders from the Ilukumai sub-clan have recalled four of their women who were married to the prime movers of the court action from the Ilmokesen sub-clan.
Prior to the appointment of the assistant chief, Lenku is alleged to have told members of the Ilukumai sub-clan in the presence of a senior administrator that he would follow the advice given by the administrator. With Sunkuyia having had no say in the appointment, it is said his camp was forced to find a way to scuttle the coronation and hopefully stop the appointee from taking office.
It remains to be seen whether either side in the dispute will cave in to the pressure from the other side, or whether an amicable agreement will be reached on the matter. Should the matter proceed to its logical conclusion in court and should the assistant chief retain his seat, he is likely to face complications in fulfilling his duties in the absence of goodwill from a significant chunk of the area residents.
