News Analysis Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town

The reported signing of an agreement political pact between three political parties with substantial following in the Rift Valley Province now signifies the end enormous influence and political clout of the Eldoret North MP William Ruto in the Rift Valley Province in general and within the Kalenjin community in particular.

The three parties reported to have signed an agreement of co-operation to work together a head of the next year’s general election included KANU, National Vision and the United Democratic Movement.

However, political pundits and observers alike say that the new cooperation is widely seen as a ploy aimed at eroding, Ruto’s URP party’s popularity in the Rift Valley, The parties leaders said “they have decided to work together to create a conducive political environment.”

KANU is led by Gideon Moi, the favorite son of the retired President Daniel Arap Moi,while the National Visio Party of Kenya {N.V.P} is led by the former powerful cabinet Minister Nicholas Kipyator Kiprono Biwott {Karnet} or “powerman” and the United Democratic Movement [UDM} is under the leadership of the retired former deputy Chief of the General Staff {CGS} Lt.Gen {rtd} John Arap Koech.

Although Gideon Moi, the former Baringo Central MP is the defector national chairman of KANU, the party of independence, the party is technically virtually still under the control and influence of the retired President Moi, a man whose enormous political clout in the Rift Valley has remained intact ever since he retired from active politics after losing power to a combined fore of the opposition groups under umbrella of Narc Kenya.

From the look of things, it is now up to Ruto to either dissolve his URP party and rejoin and become party of the new group comprising KANU, NVP and the UDM for his own political survivalor perish altogether with his brigade of MPs supporting the URP in the region.

The political scenario set by the new group, according to the observers of the Rift Valley politics will now leave very little rooms for him to maneuver his way out of the onslaught by the combination of this newly formed formidable for an alliance by the three most influential groups of politicians in the region.

Ruto before launching is United Republican Party had had hatched a secret plans to use the UDM as soft landing pad in anticipation of then the inevitable fall out of favor with his former ODM party led by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Ruto had made a spirited attempt to wrestle the UDM party out of Gen Koech’s leadership, a move which resulted in protracted legal tussles through courts.

William Ruto and Gen Koech are known not to be in good books. The relationship of the two came cropper during the 2007 general election when the latter accused Ruto and his agents in the South Rit region for having rigged him twice out of the ODM primary nomination in the Ainamoi constituency within Kericho County, and thereafter during the by-election in the same constituency to fill the vacancy which was created following the death of the former MP for the area the late David Koech two months later.

Gen Koech contested the two elections on ODM ticket, but later blamed Ruto and his spanner boy the Belgut MP Charles Keter for allegedly having master minded for his downfall. It was after this political scenario which prompted Gen Koech to move out of the ODM and hatched the plans of reviving the hitherto run-down sleeping UDM by registering the party a fresh with others.

Gen Koech was joined by Ole Kamwaro who became he UDM Secretary-General with himself being made the party national chairman. The General, however, did not severe is link with the ODM leader Raila Odinga, who later appointed him to a head the Poverty Eradication Commission a parastatal which falls under the Prime Minister’s office as its executive chairman.

An unsuccessful attempt to overthrown the General and his team by a group suspected to have been at the behest of sponsorship by Ruto and his friend was met with fiercest opposition by General Koech and his team, hence the beginning of the long and hard fought court cases.

It is worthwhile to remember that it was through the joint efforts of the late Kipsigis powerful politician the late Donald Kipkemoi Kipkalya Kones and General Koech that had paved the way for the Raila Odinga and his ODM to triumphantly gained entry into Kipsigis region of the South Rift in 2007.This effort was later to yield in the ODM’s success in the region in 2007 where members of the Kipsigis community voted for the party on man-to-man.

Report on the round in this agriculturally rich Kipsigis land covering two Counties of Kericho and Bomet is showing that William Ruto is not controlling the Kalenjin politics as such. This is just the simple perception of the newspapers making.

Our dailies have been erroneously reports insisting that Ruto is the new political kingpin of the Rift Valley Province after Moi left the leadership vacuum in the region. Moi’s political clout among he Kalenjin community is still very intact, especially in the South Rift region which is inhabited by members of the most populous Kipsigis sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin ethnic groups.

The political clout of the self-confessed professor of Kenya’s politics is yet to be fizzled out an anyone who ignore this fact can do so on his or her own peril This is one of the reasons why the political pundits and observers of the Kalenjin politics now say that the new unity pact between KANU NVP and UDM could easily bring to an abrupt end Wiliam Ruto’s excessive arrogance

However, keen observers 0f the Rift Valley politics have been heard saying that the new unity pact between KANU, NVP and UDM posed a real threat to Willam Ruto’s URP. party which he intend to use as a popular vehicles for his access to the State House race during he impending general elections.

Meanwhile a top Kipsigis politician has expressed his unreserved support and endorsement for the unity pact signed at the Weekend between KANU, NVP and County KANU branch secretary. However, he sounded a stern warning to members of his Kipsigis community to be careful about political tribal groupings, saying that this cold isolate them and make hem lose political contacts with other communities. A move them which could keep them out of the successive future governments.

“The wrong assumption that William Ruto’s URP party controls the large section of the residents of the expansive Rift Valley Province is untrue,” said Kettienya.

He went on, “It is important that that the residents of the Rift Valley region, particularly members of the Kalenjin community have been losing essential contacts with the government of the day in the last the years, and this political scenario if allowed to continue unchecked will make the community locked out of any future governments to be formed by other political parties.

The URP anted to keep the whole Kalenjin community under ne basket and I the armpit of William Ruto. The common saying in some parts of the region now is that anybody who consider the option of joining other parties is viewed political outcasts.

The Kalenjins must join other parties like KANU, ODM, UDOM, TNA and others in order to ensure that they booked themselves in the next government which will be formed after the next year’s general elections. He said he personally consider the KANU cooperation with the ODM as the better option.

Kettienya said the days of tribal grouping are long gone, because the time is ripe for Kenyans of good will to think in nationalistic terms instead of parochial and partisan politics which are the recipe of chaos and despondency.

Following the remarks made by in the just concluded Ndhiwa by-election Tom Otieno Onyango Alila,political pundits were quick in saying that the new pact grouping KNU, NVP and UDM could be warming up to the ODM and the presidential bid of its leader Raila Odinga.

Congratulating Gen Koech for having kept his UDM party intact, Ketienya called upon the Kipsigis sub-tribe to join the party en mess in order to provide the party with the necessary ammunition or power bargain after the next general elections.

It has also been established that the euphoria with which the URP had hit the ground with thud in the South Rift Region is quickly be fizzled out as fast as it had come, and the regio is rapidly drifting towards the ODM. Some of the MPs in the area who are have recently turned to be hostile towards the ODM are said to be heading for political limbos come the next general election, which could see completely new faces of MP in the region.

The two Counties of Kericho and Bomet are currently represented in the10th parliament by 8 MPS representing Kipkellion, Ainamoi, Belut, Konoin, Buret, Sotik, Chepalungu an Bomet. All the present legislators were elected on Dom tickets including that of one extra seat in Kuresoi constituency in Molo.

Four of the MPs have since ditched ODM for URP. They included Dr Julius Kones, {Konoin},Isaack Ruto {Chepalungu}, Charles Keter {Belgut} and Benjamin Lang’at {Ainmoi}, The Kuresoi mp Zakayo Cheruiyot had also abandoned the ODM.

However, four of the MP remained steadfastly in ODM.They are Franklin Bett {Buret}. Dr Joyce Laboso {Sotik}, Magerer Lang’at Kipkellion} and Beatrice Kones {Bomet}.

The region was recently awarded with two additional parliamentary seats by the IEBC one in Sigowet in lower region of Belgut district an Kipkellion West..This now means that the Kipsigis region will now post 10 MPs to the next parliament after the impeding general elections

Ends