Ruto threatens to quit ODM

Cabinet Minister William Ruto on Saturday threatened to mobilise the Rift Valley ODM rank and file to leave the party if their interests were not safeguarded.

The Agriculture Minister said the community had an equal share in the party and should not be ignored.

Speaking during the homecoming party for Kuresoi MP Zakayo Cheruiyot, the minister said his Kalenjin community had unanimously voted for ODM but certain leaders now appeared to have achieved their goals and were ignoring some of the pledges that they had promised to deliver.

While referring to Prime Minister Raila Odinga by his Kalenjin nickname arap Mibei, the Agriculture minister told the Kalenjin to remain firm because they were in ODM by right.

Interests

“When the time comes when we feel that the interests of the Kalenjin are not being taken care of, we shall not ask anyone for permission but we shall just move out because we have options,” he said.

Commenting on the controversial Waki report, Mr Ruto said: “When we were told to go for mass action and our youths blocked roads to protest against the stolen election, those who were arrested have been neglected and right now somebody is saying everyone must carry his cross, yet the cross that we were carrying was that very person’s.”

He wondered what interest Mr Odinga had in the Mau issue from the numerous meetings he has held concerning the same and told the beneficiaries that they will not be evicted.

“The title deeds that the allottees have were issued by former President Moi and later by President Kibaki,” he said. “Those targeted for eviction should rest assured that such a move will not be executed.’’

Steadfast and united

He told the Kalenjin to remain steadfast and united the same way they had when they abandoned Mr Moi to join ODM.

The meeting was attended by more than 16 MPs among them ODM secretary general Anyang’ Nyong’o and hundreds of residents, many of them from the Mau complex.

Prof Nyong’o said that ODM was still a strong party and despite different opinions raised by its leaders, the party would remain united.

He said the Mau issue would be discussed extensively and that an amicable solution would be found to ensure that the beneficiaries were equally compensated.

ODM parliamentary group secretary Ababu Namwamba said that the ODM national executive council should respect the views of its MPs who speak on behalf of the electorate.

Elsewhere, another section of ODM leaders insisted that the Waki report would not divide the party. ODM party chief whip Jakoyo Midiwo said that pursuit of the truth would never divide the party, arguing that only peddling of lies could.

Mystery

He said that while Kenyans were keen on unravelling the mystery behind the post- election violence, justice would be done to everyone.

“We must know who was behind the killings,” he said. Mr Midiwo said that there were several leaders from the party who were included in the report without reason, and would be exonerated after the report was implemented.

Mr Midiwo was speaking in Bar Sauri village in his Gem constituency on Saturday during the funeral service for Mrs Mary Teresa Allan Pesa, the daughter of Migori MP John Pesa.

Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang’ and his Public Service colleague Dalmas Otieno, who also attended the funeral, reiterated that the party had to remain united if it was to achieve its dream. “The destiny of all of us in the party is intertwined,” Mr Kajwang’ said.

He called on legislators from the Rift Valley Province to remain united in the party for the benefit of the country.

In Kapenguria, Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi repeated his proposal that Parliament passes a law to form a tribunal to try post-election violence suspects in the country.

Mr Mudavadi had attended a home-coming party for Kapenguria MP Julius Murgor at the Makutano Stadium.

Reported by Simon Siele, Cosmas Butunyi, Walter Menya and Sollo Kiragu