How chance meeting with Jordan lifted herd boy, now governor

Narok Governor Patrick ole Ntutu. [File, Standard]

When a group of tourists from Chicago, United States of America arrived in a remote village in Narok county in 1993, Patrick Ole Ntutu, now the governor, was at the lowest point of his life.

Fresh from sitting his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (KCSE) in 1991, the young Ntutu hoped to be among a few of his Maasai community to join college.

However, when the results were out, he fell short by a single point in the exams determining who enrolls in the university.

As a young ambitious man, he was devastated.  It was apparent that he would be spending the rest of his life herding his father’s cattle in the vast Savannah grassland neighbouring the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.

Like most of his age mates then, herding cattle was part of their lifestyle. In any case, that was what he had been doing since his early childhood except for a period when he was allowed to attend school.

It did not matter that he was a son of the respected Maasai senior chief Lerionka Ole Ntutu. To most Maasai males, it was a job they did from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week.

The arrival of the American tourists, however, changed everything for the better for young Ntutu. Opportunity came knocking in the name of  Deloris Jordan; the President of the Michael Jordan Foundation and the mother of the legendary Basketball Star, Michael Jordan.

The star’s mother was among a group of tourists from Chicago, who toured Ntutu’s village, in Olchorro Orowua while on Safari at the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Last week, during an interview with The Standard, the 54-year-old Ntutu recounted the events that took place 31 years ago.

According to Ntutu, Deloris was leading a group of tourists including students for an African tour after the students had won a city-wide contest in the US, which involved showing school improvement.

“During our meeting, Deloris offered me a scholarship through the foundation to pursue my university education and this turned my life around, it was a lifetime opening that empowered me for the better and guided me to what I am today,” said the Narok High School Alumni.

“I flew out in 1994 to pursue a course in Hotel Management, but Deloris persuaded me to change my course to a Degree in Business Administration, which I pursued for eight years,” he added.

He kicked his study journey after he joined the prestigious Roosevelt University, in Chicago, US, and graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor’s degree before he graduated with a Master Degree in Business Administration (Finance) in 2000.

While in America, Ntutu says he learned a lot of work discipline, ethics, keeping time, and accountability as he worked at a restaurant owned by Michael Jordan for three years.

He owes his work discipline and development vision for Narok county to Deloris who he rates as his ‘second mother’. “After my education, I have maintained the relationship with the Jordans’, I visit them more often, and they still guide me in a lot of issues, Deloris is like my second mother for what she has done to me, and bringing me up in the USA like her real son,” he added.

He said his stay in the US exposed him to diverse ideas, cultures, and philosophies that have broadened his understanding of the world and challenged preconceived notions.

“My stay, study, and work there provided me with critical thinking skills that are now helping me engage in complex issues and I can easily offer a more analytical approach to issues, which reshape how I evaluate situations and make decisions in my leadership as a governor,” he said.

Ntutu said he achieved his own personal growth, self-discovery, and personal development and the journey led him to reassess his goals, passions, and what his values are in life, which he has adapted to date.

His stay and study in America earned him the nickname ‘Olamerikai’ from his late father and Maasai folks which loosely translates to ‘an American’.

On his return in 2002, the governor joined the Public Service Commission as a District Officer in 2007 and served in Magarini, Malindi Divisions for six years rising to the position of Acting District Commissioner, before elders approached with a request to contest in the newly created Narok West Constituency.

He resigned from Public Service to join politics and was elected Narok West MP on the URP ticket in 2013.

“My education and work experience abroad and my background in public service have helped me make sure my administration set a robust system of governance that would ensure efficient use of public resources,” said Ntutu.

In his two years in office, his development proposals have won the admiration and support of many residents and have scored highly in the Management of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, which is the major source of revenue to the county government of Narok. He has also hit headlines from different pollsters and Controller of Budgets as among the county bosses in Kenya who have major development hits in the last two years.

On balance, both his critics and admirers agree that his development record is impressive so far and has the opportunity to shape his legacy now that he is one of trusted allies of President William Ruto.

“Residents can easily measure the impact governor Ntutu has had just in two years through massive development projects that are ongoing in all the 30 wards and are in the pipeline in all the eight sub-counties,” said senior chief Kipeen ole Sayialel.

Ntutu administration is said to have scored highly in Own Source Revenue Collection.

In his first year in office, he experienced political turbulence from local leaders and members of the civil society over the Maasai Mara management plan, which is now in force.

But Peter ole Narok, the treasurer of the Mara Tours and Guides Association says the master plan would immensely benefit the locals as it intends to enhance efficiency in the management of the game reserve, protect Wildebeest migration spectacle from extinction, and transform the reserve into a premier tourist’s destination.

The County banned usage of private vehicles during game drives within the Maasai Mara in effort to control traffic numbers ahead of the wildebeest migration set to kick off from mid this month.

Another resident, Mbunga Ole Tira hailed the governor for the timely provision of medical supplies, medical equipment, and the employment of an additional 400 medical staff in the next month needed to run the Afya Uzazi Salama Program as one of the breakthroughs in Ntutu administration in the health sector.

Last year, the government announced that the state, through the new Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC), is set to build a Sh750 million milk processing plant in Narok County to boost milk productivity and farmers’ income.

In the land adjacent to the proposes KCC. Angola-based livestock experts have struck a Sh2 billion deal for a modern abattoir to be constructed at Limanet’s 90-acre piece of land in Narok.

There are plans to grade and murram 200 kilometers of roads that connect rural areas with the main highways to make sure farm produce reaches the market.