Baringo Speaker blames woes on ethnic rivalry

Embattled Speaker William Kamket (left) outside the Baringo County Assembly hall on May 28, 2015. He was denied entry by assembly members opposed to him. FILE PHOTO | CHEBOITE KIGEN |

What you need to know:

  • Reps say they will allow Kamket in only after he has been cleared of incitement charges.
  • MCAs blocked official from entering assembly yet court had ordered his reinstatement.

Perennial rivalry between the Tugen and Pokot communities in Baringo County has now found its way into the county assembly, with embattled Speaker William Kamket facing a lot of hostility though the High Court has ordered his reinstatement.

This was evident on May 28, when some members of the county assembly, including Majority Leader Elijah Toroitich, blocked him from entering the assembly.

They insisted that he could be allowed into the assembly only after he has been cleared of the incitement to violence charges he is facing. He had reported for duty as per the court order.

The court reinstated him on the grounds that he had not been given a fair hearing when the MCAs ousted him in March following a petition by residents, who alleged that he had violated the law and was also fuelling cattle rustling in Arabal, Baringo South Sub-County, to achieve selfish ends.

“You should clear yourself first. Since you still have a pending case in court, sort out that issue first and we will have no problem with you,” said Minority Leader Wesley Lekakimon.

Mr Kamket insisted that he should be allowed to resume work as he had been cleared by the court but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

“The speaker has no moral authority because 40 out of 47 MCAs voted him out of the assembly. Since he is facing incitement charges, he should wait for the court’s verdict,” Deputy Speaker Douglas Kiplimo told the Nation.
Barwessa Ward Representative Joseph Makilap said: “If he lost the confidence of the assembly, why would he want to lead seven members who voted in favour of him? For normalcy to return to the House, Kamket should be away from office.”

Arabal residents claimed that Mr Kamket visited Pokot herders, who had invaded the pasture-rich area with their livestock, on the pretext that he was assessing the living conditions of his brothers.

The embattled speaker has denied all the allegations against him and has accused some MCAs of engaging in ethnic politics for their selfish interests. “Those members are busybodies who are still in denial that the court has reinstated me as the Speaker. That is a skewed interpretation of the law,” said Mr Kamket.

He has since moved to court again, seeking to have the order made clear.

Mr Kamket, who is from the Pokot community, has been facing hostility mainly from MCAs from the Tugen and Ilchamus communities.

They claim their people have borne the brunt of cattle rustling at the hands of suspected Pokot raiders. The situation has been aggravated by the killing of a former assistant chief, Mr Wilson Chebungei, in Loruk by suspected Pokot raiders last week.

County Commissioner Peter Okwanyo has since issued a shoot-to-kill order against bandits, arsonists, cattle rustlers and those in possession of illegal firearms in the cattle rustling-prone area.