Ruto fights to keep grip on Rift votes

Deputy President William Ruto addresses a rally at Lelu Primary School in Kericho County on February 20, 2016. Mr Ruto is expected to return to Kericho next week for another rally at Kaptatet grounds. PHOTO | DPPS

What you need to know:

  • The last fortnight has been dramatic in Rift Valley — where Mr Ruto has held sway since 2007 — and more drama is in store with the eagerly-awaited Kericho senatorial by-election in two weeks.
  • And on Saturday, the DP said the decision by Kanu and the Opposition to join hands for the by-election had nothing to do with winning but is only meant to divide voters in the region. 

Deputy President William Ruto was on Saturday crisscrossing Kericho in a bid to counter a heavy onslaught from Kanu and rebel Governor Isaac Ruto in the battle for the Kericho senatorial seat.

The Deputy President addressed wananchi at Lelu Primary School in Kipkellion West, Singowet open grounds, Kapsoit Junction, Belgut, Seretut and at Cheborgei trading centre.

Mr Ruto is expected to return to Kericho next week for “a major rally” at Kaptatet grounds.

The seat fell vacant after Senator Charles Keter was appointed Energy Cabinet Secretary, setting the stage for a duel between Jubilee’s Aaron Cheruiyot and Kanu’s Paul Sang.

A resurgent Kanu, the trouncing of Jubilee in a Bomet ward by-election and now the defection of a key ally is giving Mr Ruto sleepless nights with indications he might be losing his grip on the Rift Valley vote.

The last fortnight has been dramatic in Rift Valley — where Mr Ruto has held sway since 2007 — and more drama is in store with the eagerly-awaited Kericho senatorial by-election in two weeks.

Just when he thought he had consolidated the URP brigade behind the party’s dissolution into the nascent Jubilee Party, disgruntled members gave the DP a no-holds-barred dressing down in Kericho on Wednesday as he campaigned for Jubilee’s candidate in the March 7 by-election, Mr Aaron Cheruiyot.

Coming soon after Jubilee was handed a resounding defeat by Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto’s Mashinani party in the Nyangores by-election last weekend, the Deputy President has been fighting to quell increasing dissent in URP that was highlighted by planned demonstrations in Kapsabet town that were foiled by police on Thursday.

In the Nyongores by-election, Mashinani’s Andrew Maritim won 4,796 votes against Jubilee’s Richard Leitich with 2,881.

As if that was not enough, on Friday one of DP Ruto’s long-standing lieutenants, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, announced he had ditched Jubilee, saying the ruling coalition had given Rift Valley residents a raw deal.

REBELLION
Mr Sudi pledged to back Mr Sang in the polls on March 4, setting the stage for an impending split in the ruling coalition.

“The government has not fulfilled the promises made to Kenyans in the run-up to the 2013 General Election,” he said.

“We cannot continue supporting the Jubilee government when it has not implemented a single project in the Rift Valley,” he added.

“We told them to increase funding to the National Cereals and Produce Board because most residents rely on agriculture but all we have had are empty promises. We are tired,” charged Mr Sudi.

Mr Sudi accused the Deputy President of failing to forward their demands to President Uhuru Kenyatta. “We respect the Deputy President because he is our leader but he should tell us if there are differences with the President or if his boss is hard on him,” he said.

The Kanu brigade, led by Baringo Senator Gideon Moi and his West Pokot counterpart John Lonyangapuo, were joined by Governor Ruto at Mr Sang’s Friday rally at the iconic Kapkatet Stadium.

And on Saturday, the DP said the decision by Kanu and the Opposition to join hands for the by-election had nothing to do with winning but is only meant to divide voters in the region. 

“Kanu is coming through the back door with the intention of dividing the people and spoiling things for the Jubilee Party,” said Mr Ruto at a campaign rally in Kericho.

“You should ignore those spreading propaganda that Jubilee has failed. They want to join the Opposition and they want to take you along,” said the Deputy President, who was accompanied by six MPs and Governors Paul Chepkwony (Kericho) and Samuel Tunai (Narok).

Mr Sudi’s utterances came a day after police cancelled an anti-Ruto meeting in Kapsabet on Thursday citing security concerns, but largely seen as fear by powerful individuals in Nairobi that such a demonstration would dent the DP politically.

JOINING JP

The demonstrations were to be led by outspoken Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter of URP.

The protesters said they would lead a rebellion among the Nandi community and bring voters back to Kanu.

Among the list of grievances against Jubilee by Nandi politicians is alleged neglect of farmers and sacking of senior State officials from the area, including former Chief of Staff in the Deputy President’s office, Ms Maryanne Keitany, and former National Youth Service director Kiplimo Rugut.

But Uasin Gishu County Assembly Speaker Isaac Terer threw his weight behind the DP and told Rift Valley politicians to respect him.

“We as leaders from the North Rift region have nothing to do with what transpired in the South Rift when the DP went to the area to support our candidate,” he said.

“What the Jubilee coalition needs to do is call a meeting to sort out all these issues. Kenyans want to be shown the right direction,” said Mr Terer.

The DP has maintained, despite stiff opposition, that URP would be dissolved to join the Jubilee Party.

An admission by CS Keter that Mr Cheruiyot is his nephew has also fuelled resentment and is developing into yet another headache for Mr Ruto, with a resurgent Kanu moving to take full advantage.

NEPOTISM

On Wednesday during a terse meeting at which the DP came under attack from his supporters at the Tea Research Institute in Kericho County, community leaders from the six constituencies gave him a rare dressing down, accusing him of appointing Mr Keter’s relatives to government at the expense of other professionals from the region.

“Every time we hear that someone from Kericho has been appointed, we become very happy only to realise that they belong to one family. Do we not belong to families that are worthy of government jobs?” a speaker asked the Deputy President.

The angry elders were referring to Dr Ken Sigilai, who chairs the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company, Ms Betty Maina, the Principal Secretary for East African Community and her Industrialisation and Enterprise Development counterpart Julius Korir.

The DP took the trouble to try and explain how three found themselves in the top public jobs.

“If we had known they are related to Mr Keter, maybe things would have been different. Also do not use this as a reason to despise Mr Cheruiyot, who had no say in these appointments,” he said.
But on Friday the firebrand Nandi Hills MP Keter said: “That apology is insincere because you cannot come here and apologise for employing several members of the same family and at the same time ask people to vote for yet another member of that same family. That is a joke taken too far,” he fumed.

Reports by Timothy Kemei, Patrick Lang’at, Barnabas Bii, Tom Matoke and Dennis Lubanga