From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2013
Chris from Nairobi writes: “Beste what is your take on President Uhuru telling the North Rift that he will rule for 10 years and William Ruto for another 10 years? Why do you think the president tour to Bomet County was cancelled at the last moment?
Chris I don’t think the presidency will come out of house of Mumbi. You remember late John Muchuli saying they made a mistake to allow Moi to take over from Jomo Kenyatta and they wanted new constitution to make sure that Moi’s term limit would open the way for the presidency to come back to the house of Mumbi.
When Raila said Kibaki tosha and worked on MoU that after he ruled for one term he would leave presidency for him, and that Kibaki would mobilize the Kikuyu, Meru and Embu (GEMA) to make sure all their votes were cast to Raila. The first thing the GEMA did headed by then Subukia MP Koigi wa Wamwere was to destabilize the MoU.
So after Uhuru ruling for 10 years the GEMA will support their own- to stand with Ruto. Remember the GEMA have the money to buy influential powerful leaders from other tribes to add on the number to make sure they retain the presidency.
Your second question why Uhuru’s tour to Bomet County had to be dropped from the list of places where Uhuru and Deputy William Ruto would tour on Tuesday is to do with the rift between Nandi (North Rift) and Kipsigis (South Rift) leaders who argue that 50-50 job slot agreed during Jubilee campaign much of it has gone to North Rift.
Led by Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto and Kericho Senator Charles Keter, the South Rift leaders also argue that the 50-50 percent job slot is not favouring the URP but only TNA. The main agenda of the tour to South and North Rift was intended to than the local community for casting their votes for Jubilee Coalition during the last General Election.
The legislators from South Rift had vowed that they would tell Uhuru on his face when he toured Bomet that the sharing of jobs between URP and TNA is not fair, and even if it was the few sharing is only going to the Nandi (North Rift).
Isaac Ruto is even more particular. He has challenged Uhuru for leaving out other communities in job distribution in key position, terming the action as misplaced. Isaac is of the idea that Uhuru has the constitutional mandate to ensure that even regions like Nyanza, Western, Coast and Eastern provinces which voted for the opposition gets a share of the national cake as one way of making them feel part and parcel of the government.
But not all the Nandi leaders are satisfied with the job sharing between URP and TNA. While speaking at funds drive in aid of Lemok African Inland Church in Uasin Gishu last Sunday, outspoken youthful Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter said that Jubilee was formed on a 50-50 basis and demanded that government jobs be shared equally between two parties.
He claimed that many professionals from the Kalenjin community holding key public positions in acting capacity are yet to be confirmed and called for their immediate absorption for fairness to be seen in the process.
URP leaders also want Jubilee government to consider for jobs their professionals whose contracts at various public universities expired earlier this year and they are still waiting in the cold for employment.
Yet Uhuru is to rely on the South Rift votes-close to 2 million. The Kipsigis sub-tribe is the most populous sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin ethnic groups occupies the two most populous Counties of Kericho and Bomet.
The constituencies include Kipkellion East, Kipkellion West, Belgut, Sigowet, Konoin, Buret, Sotik, Chepalungu, Bomet East and Bomet West. Members of the Kipsigis community have also extended the stakes in several neighbouring districts, and constituencies in Kuresoi East, Kuresoi West, Kilgoris, Rongai, Subukia, Narok South, Narok West and Molo.
Since independence in 1963, many Kipsigis people moved out of the region, bought farms and settled in other areas like Koibatek, Cheranganyi, Nandi Hills, Tans-Nzoia, Laikipia and Nandi North. So their votes count for Uhuru.
Ruto is also to rely on them, not only because they have the votes but also in comparison with other Kalenjin ethnic groups, the Kipsigis are arguably much wealthier due to tea excessive farming and also favorable trades with their neighbors in milk, vegetables, maize and other foodstuff.
Due to he presence of larger number of workers in he tea plantations and factories, the circulation of money in the two Counties of Bomet and Kericho is the highest.
Politically, William Ruto cannot also do without Isaac Ruto and Charles Keter. They are out spoken and most respected leaders in their regions.
The Kipsigis communities have already said they want Isaac Ruto as their defacto leader. This is after it emerged that the Deputy President duped the Kipsigis, who come from the South Rift in his appointments into the public service, instead favoured his North Rift region particularly the Nandis, whom he has appointed to serve in the Jubilee Government.
The Kipsigis is a pastoralist tribal group in Kenya, speaking the Kipsigis language originated in the Sudan, moving into the Kenyan area in the 18th Century. The current settlement of the Kipsigis is in the Rift Valley province of Kenya.
Current estimated population is 785,000. They occupy the higlands of Kericho stretching from Timboroa to Mara River in the south, the west of Mau Escarpment in the east to Kebenet in the west. They also occupy parts of Laikipia, Kitale, Nakuru, Eldoret and Nandi Hills.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
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Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ
UN Disarmament
Conference, 2002