Kajiado Governor Joseph Lenku and his top aides duped a startup PR agency to do Media and Publicity for them and refused to pay.
The governor through his aides, approached the Company to provide Consultancy Services on Digital and Online Coverage and Tracking of Commissioned Development Projects and programmes in the County.
The Company was engaged in 2019 with a promise to be paid in 2021.
The Startup directories were excited with the opportunity and religiously carried out their duties.
Since the Governor was facing stiff opposition from his opponents, the Company was also tasked with identifying potential opponents and discrediting their candidature especially on social media.
Lenku’s aides helped generate content that the Company pushed on social media through its publishing website.
Among Lenku’s perceived fiercest opponents that the Company helped discredit their candidature were Titus Naikuni who had in 2018 expressed interest in running for Governor in the 2022 elections.
Naikuni later dropped out of the race.
Second was former Kajiado East MP Peris Tobiko who at the mention of her name, made Lenku and his aides tremble.
Lenku’s aides reportedly worked with Peris Tobiko;s husband to cause disharmony in her marriage and force her to drop out of the race.
The aides feasted on the fall out when the then Deputy President William Ruto held a meeting hosted by Peris at her home.
The husband who was supporting Lenku, accused William Ruto of invading his home.
On October 8th 2021, Kishanto Ole Suuji , Peris Tobiko’s husband, stormed Isinya Police station saying he had not been consulted nor informed about the political rally and wondered why the DP was secretly plotting with his wife to “mutilate his matrimonial home”,.
Next on the chopping board by the Startup was former NTSA Director General Francis Mejja.
Mejja was seen as a strong contender and his candidature gave Lenku and aides sleepless nights.
In June 15th 2021, Lenkus aides spread propaganda that the Ex- NTSA boss Francis Meja had come under fire from Kajiado North residents for saying the Maasai Community had gotten a raw deal in managing the Kimuka Water and in the allocation of business spaces at the ultra-modern Ngong Market.
They spread rumors that Meja’s statements were interpreted as an affront against the Kikuyu community that is dominant in Kajiado North.
They went on to allege that Meja had rattled local leaders for telling residents of Kimuka, his political base, that their water should not have been piped to Kajiado North.
The Kimuka water had been discovered at the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) tunnel and was harnessed by Ewaso Ng’iro South Development Authority (ENSDA) and County Government of Kajiado.
The water was piped to both Kajiado West and down to the highly populated Kajiado North areas of Ngong.
They spread propaganda that Meja said the water was not supposed to go to Non-Maasai and said he would ensure it is restored for use by the local community.
Through propaganda, Lenku and aides managed to discredit Meja and labelled him a “tribalist”.
Several Media outlets including the Startup were forced to apologize to Meja after being misled.
Lenku’s aides were not yet done, next on the chopping board was former Kajiado South MP Katoo Ole Metito.
Lenku wanted to meet Katoo on the ballot since they all hail from the South and he would have an advantage over him.
He worked behind the scenes to have Katoo given the UDA ticket and Nkedienye the Jubilee one.
This is after having ensured Peris Tobiko is out of the race.
In the August polls Governor Lenku garnered 117,600 votes.
Katoo Ole Metito (UDA) polled 111,725 votes leading in Kajiado South constituency with 26,401 votes.
Lenku got 21,135 votes in his home constituency.
Former Kajiado Governor David Nkedianye (Jubilee) polled 75,337.
After the elections, Lenkus troubles were not yet over, he still engaged the services of the startup which helped him in publicity.
Luckily for him, Katoo Ole Metito was appointed State House Comptroller by President William Ruto .
The Courts also dismissed Katoo’s petition.
However, after helping him for years in publicity, strategy and good will, Governor Lenku has never responded to the Companies request for payment as had earlier been agreed with his aides.
Calls to his phone and text messages have never been answered.
His aides have been giving empty promises of “you will be paid soon”.
However, until recently a close aide of the Governor told the Company’s directors that “We cannot process any payment for you”.
This is a clear case of ‘use and dump’
The Company is working on a documentary on “How Lenku used clandestine and dirty tricks to win his second term as Kajiado Governor”.
The directors said the documentary will be released soon.
