For Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu, the words of Malcolm X—"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today"—hold profound meaning. His educational journey was shaped by an unexpected benefactor: Deloris Jordan, the mother of basketball legend Michael Jordan.
Through her philanthropic efforts, she played a pivotal role in supporting Ntutu’s education—a gesture that would later inspire his leadership and dedication to empowering young learners in Kenya.
Ntutu’s life took an unexpected turn in 1994 when a group of tourists from Chicago, USA, visited the remote village of Olchorro Orowua in Narok County.
The Governor was chosen by Jordan's family and relocated to the US, where he spent his entire higher education journey in Illinois with them.
At the time, he was at his lowest point, having completed his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams in 1991.
His dream of joining university had been shattered after falling short by just a single point—he needed just that to better his life.
After missing out on university entry, the young and ambitious Ntutu was devastated. It seemed his future was set—spending the rest of his life herding his father’s cattle across the vast savannah grasslands bordering 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.
However, the opportunity to head to the US through a scholarship he had been awarded by the Deloris Foundation changed his life forever.
He began his study journey when he joined the prestigious Roosevelt University in Chicago, US, and graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor’s degree before obtaining a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (Finance option) in 2000.
Ntutu returned to the country in 2002 and transitioned into public service, beginning as a District Officer in Malindi Division. He served for six years before the Maasai elders, with whom he had built a reputation, approached him to vie for the Narok West parliamentary seat.
He resigned from public service to join politics and was elected Narok West MP on the URP ticket in 2013. He went on to serve for two terms until he was elected as Governor in 2022.
Ntutu, for his part, attributes his success to Jordan's mother, who he revealed shaped him.
''She is my second mother, some of you know that I went to the United States of America about 30 years ago,'' Ntutu narrated.
''She is the one who took care of me for about seven years. You can imagine paying all my school fees from the first year in college, all the way to graduate school. When you see me today, I am humble, but at times I get a little bit emotional when I see her. It is what it is,'' he added.
''When you see somebody who has made a difference in your life. I would not have been the Governor of Narok County if it had not been for her.''
