Kisumu, 26/ 02/ 08
By Leo Odera Omolo
  
THE Orange Democratic Movement members in Ainamoi constituency in Kericho district have appealed to the party’s Pentagon member William Ruto  to exercise some kind of impartiality in line with the movement’s cherished democratic principles.
   
In Kipsigis tradition and culture there is nothing like leadership inheritance, therefore, the residents have asked Hon Ruto to steer clear as far as the forthcoming ODM nomination exercise in the forthcoming by-election to fill the leadership vacuum left by untimely demise of the late Hon David Kimutai Too, the slained former MP elect for the area.
   
The residents have also appealed to the MP for the neighbouring Belgut constituency Hon. Charles Keter to mind his own constituency’s businesses and to leave the electorate  in Ainamoi alone to vote for a candidate of their own choice when the seat is declared vacant by the speaker of Parliament.
   
The residents were reacting to what they termed as unwanted remarks made by both Ruto and Keter during the funeral  of the slain MP at his village home in Chepkoiyo, Ainamoi.
   
Ruto, they claimed, had blundered into making a serious error of judgement when he made a futile attempt to front the late MPs’s younger brother Mr. Benjamin  Too as the most suitable person who would fit into his late brother’s shoes by way of taking the mantle of political leadership in Ainamoi.
   
The residents have also faulted Keter for having exploited the emotion of the mourners to prevent all the other parliamentary aspirants who had contested the election during last December and lost to the late Too from addressing the huge crowd of mourners. This, they said, was a total mockery of democracy.
   
The residents have also appealed to the ODM leader Raila Amolo Odinga to tame both Ruto and Keter or risk losing the current nearly man -to -man support the ODM support he (Raila) and the ODM is enjoying among the Kipsigis community.
   
The community had joined Raila Odinga and other democratic forces in taming Daniel Arap Moi by voting for change against the old KANU’s autocratic system previously practiced in Kipsigisland with impunity. As such, they will not allow Ruto and Keter destroy all that they fought for.
   
In December of last year close to 14 parliamentary aspirants contested the Ainamoi seat. Most of them were eliminated during ODM’s much flawed preliminaries. Some of them immediately and quickly jumped on the bandwagon of other parties and went on to contest for the seat during the election proper arguing that the former military chief is the most consistent person whose loyalty to the ODM party goes beyond comparison.
   
It has also since emerged that the retired President Daniel Arap Moi and PNU had spent a very colossal amount of money and made other campaign logistics abundantly available to KANU aspirants in nearly all the eight parliamentary seats in futile efforts to dislodge the ODM. But with presentation of the likes of Lt Gen Koech, ODM became unstoppable and sailed through capturing all seats to the chagrin of the retired mentor Moi and his political cronies in Kipsigis land.
   
The forthcoming by-election in Ainamoi could be a test of the political magnanimity of Raila and his colleagues. Residents says they are aware of political maneuvers of Ruto and Keter of supporting youthful political novices in the constituency. Keter in particular is severely criticized for not being comfortable with strong individuals political personalities in Kipsigis land and of playing dirty political brokerage in the area. All these political machinations and schemes are well known to the electorate in Ainamoi.
   
But a few notable ODM stalwarts remained loyal and vigorously campaigned for both the late Too and Raila Odinga.
   
Those notable personalities whose loyalties to the party remained intact include the populist retired fomer deputy CGS Lt Gen John K.Koech, former Kericho mayor Joel Siele, Councilor Rop, Allies Kiplekwet, Eric Sang, Chebosien Rop and Andrew Moritum.
   
Those who defected to other parties include former Minister for Water and Development Eng Kingeno Arap Ngeny, Dr Paul Chepkwony Arap Koros, the immediate former area MP Noah N Too, Mrs Anne Kibet and Kiptanui Kirior.
   
Lt Gen (Rtd) John Koech not only campaigned in Kipsigis land but actually teamed up with other campaigners at the Pentagon and extended his activities to the entire Kalenjin region. He contributed immensely to ODM success in Kipsigisland and also in the Diaspora.
   
A group of public opinion leaders in Ainamoi have come up with the idea which will be presented to Raila Odinga immediately after the seat is declared vacant. They would pressurize Odinga and his Pentagon team to consider the possibility of giving direct ODM nominations to Lt.Gen Koech.
   
Taking into account the gender issue, others argue that Mrs Rehel Yegon could have been a suitable ODM nominee.

    
It has been leaked that apart from Buret MP Franklin Bett, who is credited for having backed the idea of giving the community one slot in the nominations, most Kipsigis MPs did not want anyone to be nominated to Parliament from the region and Hon Keter stands blamed for the apathy.
   
At the Bomas, Lt Gen Koech was chosen to lead the ODM campaign in the South Rift region which also covered Kericho, Buret, Bomet and Kilgoris and part of Molo and Narok, a role which he played with zeal. He had inspired the community who overwhelmingly voted for Raila and ODM MPs and sent PNU and Moi’s agents packing after being given a run for their money.
   
A rumour in the region is that Moi’s agents had succeeded in infiltrating the ODM rank and file. They sponsored ODM candidates in Konoin, Kipkelion, Buret, Bomet and Ainamoi. They sponsored weak candidates to win ODM preliminaries so that they could eventually lose to KANU in the election.  The idea is said to have flopped with a thud.
   
ENDS
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com