Ruto denies rift with PM Odinga

• Ruto said there was a difference of opinion on some issues which had been misconstrued that he was at loggerheads with PM.
• He said threats of the eviction of squatters in Mau was causing unnecessary tension in the area

Agriculture minister William Ruto Sunday denied that there was a rift between him and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Mr Ruto said there was a difference of opinion on some issues which had been misconstrued to be that he was at loggerheads with the PM.

Talking to the press at his home in Eldoret, Mr Ruto said it was democratic for him to differ with Mr Odinga on some issues but that does not mean that cracks had emerged in ODM.

The Agriculture minister who hosted 27 Rift Valley MPs in his house including Information minister Samuel Poghisio, Roads minister Franklin Bett and assistant minister Linah Kilimo wondered why the country’s politics centred so much on the Rift Valley.

“Why should Rift Valley take the attention of the whole country while there are other regions of the country in which catchment areas had been destroyed?” he asked.

Mr Ruto said though he supports the conservations of forests including that of Mau, eviction of the squatters must be done in a humane manner.

“We must respect an owner of any title deed and that is what we are advocating for so I don’t know if such an opinion amounts to a rift,” he said.

He said threats of the eviction of squatters in Mau was causing unnecessary tension in the area while they wanted people to live peacefully in the province.

When Mr Odinga toured some parts of Rift Valley especially in Kericho last week, he received lukewarm reception from an area which he got votes almost to the last man. Mr Ruto did not accompany him in his meeting nor did the area MPs.

On Friday, Mr Ruto was in a fundraiser at Mugirango North, the home of trade assistant minister Omingo Magara while accompanied by some PNU ministers and MPs while Mr Odinga campaigned for the Bamachoge ODM candidate Simon Ogari, a move that sent signals that all was not well in the Orange party.

But Mr Ruto said he cannot be present wherever the PM is.

“I can’t be everywhere the Prime Minister is unless you want me to be his personal assistant,” he said.

Mr Ruto said the fundraiser had been postponed when President Kibaki visited Nyanza a fortnight ago and the area leaders could not cancel it again.

“The area leaders held consultations and concluded that there was nothing wrong in me having the harambee while the PM campaigned for the Bomachoge ODM candidate,” he said.

He dismissed the Waki report on post-election violence once more saying it was targeted at some people.