Kehitile lost to BPF secretary-general, Lawrence Ookeditse, in the primaries on Saturday. He contested the primaries, albeit under protest, citing that most of his concerns were not addressed by the party leadership. Chiefly, he complained that many of his supporters were missing in the voters’ roll. He has accused Ookeditse of using his position as secretary-general to manipulate the voters’ roll in his favour. The rivalry between Kehitile and Ookeditse is so intense. The two have even used near obscene language against each other during the buildup to the primaries. Instead of protesting the outcomes of the primaries or demanding a re-run, Kehitile said that he has now entered talks with the BRP with a view of contesting the 2024 General Election under the party banner. “I have written so many complaints to the BPF executive leadership relating to issues surrounding the handling of primaries in the constituency. I have never received any response from the party. Given my previous experience, it will be a futile exercise for me to write another letter disputing the Saturday results or demanding a re-run. A lot of my supporters were missing from the voters roll over the weekend,” Kehitile said.
The former Tutume District Council (TDC) chairperson told Mmegi that he has held talks with other political parties with a view of joining them. He, however, said that the best option for him will be joining the BRP. “Other parties want me to join them as an ordinary member. I shunned their respective proposals because I wanted a party that can offer me parliamentary candidacy for the polls. They have already identified their parliamentary candidates for this year’s General Election. I am doing consultations in the constituency but as it stands, I am destined to join the BRP.” He added, “The BRP is yet to identify a parliamentary candidate in the constituency which is why I intend joining them. By Sunday, I am optimistic that I would have reached an agreement with the BRP. I have always been open about my desire to represent the people of Nata-Gweta in Parliament.” Kehitile said he considered running as an independent candidate but felt it would be difficult to establish himself ahead of the election, given how close the polls are.
