DP Ruto meets Ogiek leaders

Deputy President William Ruto has moved to bolster his support in the Rift Valley region ahead of the 2022 elections.

In his latest bid to counter the Gideon Moi’s spirited efforts to woo Rift Valley residents, Mr Ruto held a meeting with leaders drawn from the Ogiek community at his Karen home on Monday and promised to help the Ogiek resolve their land problems.

Details of the closed-door meeting are scanty, but a brief statement from  DP Ruto's communication team, said the discussions were centred on development.

"I met Ogiek leaders from Mariashoni and Nessuit areas in Nakuru County, led by Senator Victor Prengei and MCAs Busienei Beuton and Maurine Lesingo. We discussed development matters and encouraged them to participate in government-led initiative to restore peace in the area," the statement read.

The delegation was led by nominated senator Prengei, Mr Beuton, Ms Lesingo and Ogiek Council of Elders chairman Joseph Towett.

A source who attended the meeting said that it was part of the deputy president's efforts to consolidate his support base in the region in readiness for the 2022 elections.

Another source said told the Nation that the leaders visited Mr Ruto in order to strategise on getting the Ogiek community to rally behind his campaign and prepare the ground for him prior to the 2022 polls.

"The leaders promised to rally the Ogiek community behind DP Ruto in the 2022 presidential elections. We also met him to discuss about our historical land injustices and our evictions from the fringes of the Mau Forest," said the source.

Historical land disputes, political incitement, the Mau Forest question and bad blood between communities living at the fringes of the forest have in the past been blamed for rampant conflicts in the area. The clashes have claimed lives of tens of people in the past three months and left a trail of destruction.

Live in peace

During the Monday meeting, DP Ruto called on the two communities living at the fringes of the Mau Forest to live in peace as the land issue is solved.

Another source told the Nation that during the meeting the DP promised to solve their land issues once he ascends to power in 2022.

"The DP assured us that he will help resolve the land problems in the region once he ascends to power," said the source.

The source said that the DP revealed, that he will implement the landmark judgement, delivered on May 26, 2017 by the Arusha-based African court, which directed the Kenyan government to resettle thousands of members of the community, that were evicted from the Mau Forest Complex.

The court, in its judgement, found that the 35,000 members of the community were illegally evicted from their ancestral land in the water catchment tower and that their rights were violated.

The court also found that the community’s rights on religion, life, property, culture, development and non-discrimination were violated during the eviction exercise after they resisted.

The African court further ruled that the Ogiek were not consulted about the evictions they suffered.

Desperate attempt

Nakuru Jubilee Party official Peter Mtumishi Cheruiyot dismissed the meeting between DP Ruto and the Ogiek leaders as a waste of time maintaining that the region is firmly in support of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

"My attention has been drawn to a meeting held at DP Ruto’s residence in Karen, Nairobi. I wish to state that the meeting was a desperate attempt from a section of Ogiek leaders to portray the region as troubled. The peace initiative, demarcation of boundaries and coordinates placing, is an activity carried out under office of President Uhuru Kenyatta supervised by regional commissioner George Natembeya. President Kenyatta has already moved to handle the land question in the affected regions and has appointed a team to look into the land tussles. The meeting was by a section of leaders and Senator Prengei relatives," said Mr Cheruiyot.

He added: "I invite the president to personally visit Njoro to issue title deeds soon."

The meeting comes weeks after Mr Moi hosted a group of ward reps drawn from Nessuit, Mariashoni and Mauche at his Kabarak home.

The Kanu chairman, together with former East African Community Minister Musa Sirma, held a meeting with the leaders who were led by Nakuru County Assembly Deputy Speaker Samuel Tonui.

The MCAs called on the senator to hold talks with the President to ensure those living in areas are genuine land owners are not evicted, but issued with title deeds.

The senator also promised the MCAs from Nakuru that he will conduct wide consultation and present their grievances.