SOME OF THE RIFT VALLEY MPS HAVE WITHRAWN THEIR MONTHLY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ODM AS WAR OF ATTRITION BETWEEN RAILA AND RUTO INTENSIFIES. By Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho A good number of the ODM MPs from the Kalenjin community, especially those from the South Rift have withdrawn their monthly contributions of Kshs.50,000 to the coffers of the Orange Democratic Movement {ODM}. The party strength in Parliament is close to 100 MPs and if each of the is contributing Kshs 50,000 each month to the party coffers, the ODM was bagging close to Kshs 5 million every month. The money comes fom compulsory deduction from the MPs salaries every month. The mass withdrawal was confirmed by the MP for Kuresoi Zakayo K. Cheruiyot in a phone conversation with this writer. He said nearly all the Kalenjin MPs have written to the Speaker of the National Assembly Mr. Kenneth Marende and withdrew their compulsory monthly deduction of Kshs 50,000 as previously agreed between the MPs and the party hierachy. Other MPs reached by phone, however were reluctant to confirm or deny the mass withdrawal of monthly contribution to the ODM coffers. The withdrawal, according to another sources has caused seriously cash flows within the party. The Kalenjin, MPs, particularly those from the Kipsigis community blames the ODM for having short changed their community during its distributions of cabinet appointments in the grand coalition government. They said Raila Odinga had given preference to their Nandi cousins by giving them three cabinet slots, and yet the Nandis only gave the ODM 430,00 voters compared with the .3 million votes which the party had harvested from the Kipsigis region and in the diaspora. The Nandis were given three sots in the cabinet, namely the Agriculture Minister William Ruto, the Industrialization Minister Henry Kosgei and the Science Education Minister Dr. Sally Kosgei while the Kipsigis, the most populous community that gave the ODM a total of nine MPs was given one slot in the cabinet with two Assistant Ministers positions. These were the late Kipkalyta Kones {Roads} the late Lorna Laboso {Home Affairs} and Charles Keter{Energy} Meanwhile it has been established that the crucial and volatile meeting between Raila Odinga and the six Kipsigis MPs and the community¢s elders, professionals and civic leaders in Kericho the previous week had a lot of political undertones and undercurrent.. Minister Ruto who is currenbtly plays the role of undisputed Kalenjin political kingpin did not attend the meeting. Instead he went Eldoret, but sent anb apology, which Raila Odinga later read to those in attendance. The following day, the smiling Ruto appeared in Mr. Odinga¢s rural home in Bondo where he was received with thunderous applause. But insiders have confided to us that Ruto,s smiles were somehow deceitful. with hidden sinister motive. He was aware of the boiling discontent among the members of the Kipsigis community over Raila increasing role in the Mau Complex affairs., But Ruto want Raila to face the community and get embarrassed . It has been established that both Raila and Ruto camps are currently backing different candidates For the forthcoming by-elections in Bomet and Sotik parliamentary constituencies. In Bomet Raila had already endorsed the candidature of the late Kones widow Mrs Beatrice Kones for the ODM ticket while Ruto is said to be supporting the former Administrator of Tenweek Mission Hospital, Mr Mutai. In Sotik, Ruto is fronting for Eng. Rotich who contested the same seat last year on an UDM party, while Raila is said to be backing the late Lorna Laboso¢s sister Dr. Joyce Laboso Abonyo a Kipsigis girl who is married to a Luo man. Meanwhile the United Democratic Movement {UDM} has been registered a fresh with different top leadership. The new UDM party leader is the former Deputy CGS Lt. Gen.{rtd} John Koech while the national Vice Chairman is the Rev Phellemon Kiptum Koech, the UDM Secretary General is Martin Ole Kamwaro, the national treasurer is Francis Koech while the national assistant treasurer is Nancy Njeru. The former two terms MP for Konoin who was at oine time a member of the Electoral Commision of Kenya Nathaniel Arap Chebellion is the national trustee and adviser of the UDM. The party¢s. IT, economic and industrialization secretary is Zacharia Momanyi Otao.. UDM has already established an ultra modern headquarters at Nairobi¢s Riverside Drive suburb with a full fldged secretariat, which its leaders are currently using as a strategic planning office similar to ODM,s Pentagon office. But it would soon open its head office with signposts and full colour in Nairobi. UDM under the new leadership has rolled up a tentative programme for membership drive. It would soon open its offices in key regional towns like Kisumu, Nyeri ,Mombasa, Eldoret, Kakamega and Embu to cater for all its members. The arty would soon launch its fund raising both locally and abroad. But this will be before the end of the year. It will be open to all Kenyans adults.. Although the party was originally formed by the former Agriculture Minister Kipruto Arap Kirwa, the MP for Lugari Cyrus Jirongo, William Ruto and former MP for Emgwen Stephen Tarus and Fred Amayo in the early 1992, it was denied registration by the former President Daniel Arap Moi , who had blasted its leaders and described as radical rebels. After sensing that the UDM was likely to endanger the KANU then dwindling popularity in the Rift Valley, Moi last kick and game plan was to offer both Jirongo and Ruto cabinet position a the quickest means of killing the UDM. But the party has now bounced back to life. Gen Koech told this writer that UDM will next week fill its parliamentary candidates in both Bomet and Sotik by-elections, but would not entertain anybody known top be connected with either Moi or William Ruto. A source has confided to us that Ruto had ealier on secretly hatched a plan B strategy of fallking back to UDM iun the event of complete fallout with Raila Odinga¢s UDM, bt nowwith his arch-political enemy Gen. Koech now at the help of the UDM all Ruto¢s chances of returning to the UDM are permanently sealed off. If he falls out with the ODM as observers says this is very inevitable in the near future then he will have to look for another party. Gen Koch who was twice rigged out of Ainamoi constituency in the 2007 and thereafter consequently in the recent by election said, the new UDM leadership would also block anyone who is associated with the retired President Daniel Arap Moi from using the party. This was loosely interpreted as targeting the former Bomet MP Nick Salat who had earlier hinbted that he would contest the by-election on UDM ticket instead of KANU. Gen Koech said his party had already identified two candidates one for Bomet and the other for Sotik, and would not entertain any political chameleon to disturb its arrangement.. The UDM which seemed be destined to become the party of the day in the Kalenjin region has appealed to the government to ensure that the removal of close to 20,000 squatters from thre Mau Complex has a human face. They should be given up to one year grace period to organized schooling facilities for their children in their planned new land. Those who have already constructed expensive permanent houses in the region should have their property evaluated and consequently adequately be compensated.. Gen Koech said the Kipsigis community is in the process of abandoning and ditching ODM due to its usually chaotic and flawed nomination system a contentious issue which its leadership hierachy have refused to address. But owing to the current political dimenion in the Kipsigis region, UDM is confidence of winning the two seats respectively. In the last general elections, the party had many parliamentary and civic candidates in many wars. It won 1 civic seats and one parliamentary seat, that is Mogotio currently represented by the Sports Minister Hellen Sambili. Ends leooderamolo@yahoo.com..

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Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:31:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Leo Odera Omolo Subject: RIFT VALLEY MPS HAVE WITHDRAWN THEIR MONTHLY CONTRIBUTIONS TO ODM