Leo Odera Omolo Reports in Kericho Town

The political topic which dominated the lips of many people in the South Rift region is the newspaper disclosure that the retired President Daniel Arap Moi is warming up to the Prime Minister Rala Odinga an overture which many believes could yield into KANU/ODM alliance ahead of the 2012 general elections.

This latest topic dominated the air in public joints cafes and restraints in Kericho Town where local politician were quick in welcoming the move saying it would be fruitful if Moi could prevail upon the current crops of KANU leaders in the region to wok with Odinga’s ODM.

Moi is still a force to reckon with in the South Rift region where he has the largest following among members of the populous Kipsigis sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin ethnic group. Of late, however, the community which supported the ODM on man -to-man basis in 2007general election has been tossed around by selfish interests serving youthful politicians advocating for political alliances one after the other with no end result on sight.

A meeting which took place between the Prime Minister and Moi last weekend coincided with public vow by four MPs from the region who reaffirmed their intention to stay in the ODM despite pressure coming from their colleagues in the North Rift led by the sacked former Higher Education Minister William Ruto who have been criss-crossing the region urging the area MPs to ditch ODM and join the UDM.

It come simultaneously with an assurance given by four MPs from the Kipsigis community who have vowed to remain in ODM until the current tenth parliament is dissolve citing the interest of their community which compels them to support the government of the day so as to benefit their electorate.

The Kipsigis MPs were led by the Road Minister Franklin Bettwhos the MP for Buret within the Kericho County, an Assistant Minister for Home Affairs Mrs Beatrice Kones who is the MP for Bomet, within the Bomet County, Magerer Lang’atwho is an ASssistant Minster for Energy and the MP for Kipkellion also within Kericho County and Dr.Joyce Laboso, the MP for Sotik in Bomet County.

The legislators were speaking at Tenwek Day Primary School during a fund drive in aid of the school.

The four MPs makes a half of the total legislators representing the Kipsigis community in the current parliament. The region currently has eight parliamentary electoral constituencies, which include Kipkellion, Ainamoi,Belgut,Konoin,Buret,Bomet,Chepalungu and Sotik.

The other group of MPs include Charles Keter who it is being alleged has since become William Ruto’s spanner boy and abdicated from his responsibility of serving the electorate adequately ever since he was sacked as an energy Assistant Minister two years ago, Benjamin Lang’at Ainamoi} ,Dr.Julius Kones {Konoin} and Isaac Ruto {Chepalungu}. In the next elections, the region will have ten MPs following the sub-division of Belgut into two with the creation of the Sigowet constituency.Also sub-divided into two constituencies namely Kipkellion East and Kipkellion West.

The culture and nature of the Kipsigis people could be sad to be conservative. They don’t rush into issues in a hasty manner before thoroughly examining all the implications involve. The campaign recently launched by William Ruto urging the Kipsigis and the entire Kalennin community t ditch Raila Odinga’s ODM for unpredictable amorphous alliances with the people the community seemed not to trust appeared to have hit the rock.

The anti-ODM campaign in the region seemed to have boomeranged on the face of its advocates. The people re being told to ditch the ODM and join UDM, but the latter seemed to have got no structure on the ground, and is shrouded with legal tussles in court between its real national chairman the Lt.Gen {rtd} John Arap Koech, who the former Deputy CGS and is himself a Kipsigis tribesman. As far as the court cases involving the UDM are concern, there is no party called UDM under William Ruto’s leadership, and what the Eldoret North MP has been telling he Kipsigis to join remain a fiction if not a phantom.

The General is said to have a soft heart for both Raila Odinga and Daniel Arap Moi therefore if he eventually emerged the winner of the court case, then UDM will definitely expected form a genuine alliance with both KANU and ODM and not PNU oasis. So far the General is also being urged by his supporter to contest the presidency on UDM ticket an option which he said ws receiving his attention.

Ruto appeared to have shot himself in the leg by incessantly criticizing Raila Odinga and blaming hi for his own woes, the criticism which the locals leaders in Kericho say lacked constructive agenda, but based on jealousy and personal conflicts of interest. Ruto, they said has failed to pi Raila down on any mistake the latter has committed against the community. “What we are seeing is selfish interests by someone who want to go to the top while ridding at the back of his erstwhile colleague and political associate” said Councilor Nicholas Tum of Kericho Municipality.

A Kericho politician who is a staunch supporter of Raila Odinga,Tum is the opinion that I he latter form an alliance with Moi and his KANU supporters in the South Rift the latter two will swept the board clean. Our region extends into the neighboring Trans-Mara region, and we shall make sure that the ODM win all the votes in this region.

Tum said the ODM leadership in the region was happy with the unequivocal support the MPs led by Bett were giving the party, and effectively articulating its policy.

“What the Ruto group is involved in is verbal twisting and purely the case of miscalculation and underestimation of the intelligence of the electorate in this region, but they will live to regret comes the year 2012.,” said Tum.

ends