Drama unfolded in Kajiado on Thursday, September 3, after Governor Joseph Ole Lenku was heckled while addressing residents during President William Ruto’s rally in Loitokitok.
Lenku had barely started speaking when a section of the crowd began shouting and waving their hands, demanding that he stop his speech.
The interruptions forced the governor to cut his address short, prompting President Ruto to intervene and ask the crowd to give Lenku time to finish speaking.
Ruto appealed to the residents to allow the governor to complete his remarks as the heckling continued.
Lenku had been praising Ruto’s development projects in Kajiado, saying residents supported the President’s development agenda.
However, the crowd’s reaction intensified, with some residents continuing to demand that he stop speaking.
Despite the disruption, Lenku appeared unfazed and told his critics that the noise would not intimidate him.
He said the small number of people making noise would not determine Kajiado’s political direction, adding that residents had decided to support Ruto.
Ruto later took the microphone and again appealed to the crowd to allow the governor to finish his speech.
The incident briefly became the main focus of the rally as residents continued expressing their displeasure during Lenku’s address.
Ruto was in Kajiado as part of his tour to promote his government’s development agenda and highlight ongoing projects in the county.
During the visit, the President inspected the KSh2.2 billion Loitokitok Affordable Housing Project.
He also laid the foundation stone for KSh220 million student hostels at the Kenya Medical Training College in Kajiado South Constituency.
The heckling comes as Lenku faces another political challenge over remarks he made on August 22.
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission has summoned the governor to appear on September 17 over allegations of ethnic incitement and hate speech.
The allegations being investigated relate to remarks in which Lenku reportedly argued that political parties should reserve leadership positions in Kajiado and Narok counties for Maasai candidates.