Ruto and allies hit back over sacking

MPs allied to Eldoret North legislator William Ruto have declared they are in transit from ODM and are now re-energised following the sacking of the rebels from Government.

They accused President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga of rewarding “sycophancy, mediocrity and incompetence” in the mini-reshuffle of Cabinet on Wednesday. (Read: Defiant Ruto scoffs at his sacking)

Mr Ruto and former East African Community minister Prof Hellen Sambili were speaking at Parliament Buildings in the company of 18 MPs including Aden Duale and Mohammed Mohamud Ali who were sacked as assistant ministers.

“It’s just a question of time for us to move on and build a much more progressive movement and live to fulfil what we would have wanted in ODM,” said Mr Ruto.

The ODM deputy party leader said the rebels would technically remain in the party because they were elected on its ticket. He said the MPs would leave the party at the opportune moment.

The differences between his faction and that led by Prime Minister Raila Odinga, he said, were irreconcilable and they would “meet at the elections.”

Prof Sambili, the only elected member of the United Democratic Movement, welcomed the rebels to join her party.

Former Special Programmes assistant minister Mohammed Mohamud Ali said ODM was “on the path to self-destruction” for sacking the rebels and would lose support in upper Eastern.

Meanwhile, Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni criticised the re-appointment of Moses Wetang’ula as Foreign Affairs minister despite the damning report by the Defence and Foreign Relations Committee that was the basis of his departure last year.

“We have not seen or heard of (even) a one-page report clearing him,” said Mr Kioni.

Meanwhile, President Kibaki has been asked to reverse a decision to reappoint Mr Wetang’ula and Mr Thuita Mwangi to the Foreign Affairs ministry until they are cleared of corruption allegations.

Defence and Foreign Relations committee chairman Adan Keynan and member Benedict Gunda, together with the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Dr Boni Khalwale, want the duo’s suspension maintained until they are cleared of the corruption allegations levelled against him.