News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town.
SOME of the amorphous tribally driven political alliances being formed specifically with one simple agenda; that of how prevent the Prime Minister Raila Odinga from succeeding President Mwi Kibaki as the next President of the Republic are likely to be fizzled out even long before the next poll slated for March 4, 2013.
The residents of this rich tea growing region have become increasingly weary of the anti-Raila sentiments, and wee now demanding that the anti-Raila elements should be clear in their campaign agenda.”They should tell us what they intend to do for Kenyans instead of filling the air with anti-Raila empty political slogans and rhetoric’s,” remarked a prominent politician in Bureti district J.L Ng’eno.
A leading KANU politician in Kipsigis land William Kipkemoi Arap Kettienya has cautioned his community to aware and move cautiously about the numerous tribally oriented political alliances. ’These alliances, he said could be recipe to chaos and mayhem.”
The common belief of many people in this region is that some monetary interests has driven politicians are the one who have of late ditched the ODM and crossed to form amorphous alliances with wealthy politicians from other region.
Unfortunately those forming alliance don’t go back home and inform their people what such alliances entail to their communities. It is the question of serving selfish interest. And this is one of the reasons why they have decamped from the ODM in the recent past sought for green pasture in other parties, which are led by wealthy politicians from other regions.
Another prominent Kipsigis politician who has requested that his name should not be mentioned predicted that “As soon as the campaign resources, which are said to be n abundant supplies in the TNA-URP alliance dries up,’Our people will begin running back to the ODM, which I believe is the only.”
During my numerous interviews with the leading personalities and residents of this rich tea growing region of Kericho and Bomet Counties, I gathered some vital information which are clearly indicating that despite of the intensive heat of mid-slinging campaign against Raila Odinga mounted by some Kalenjn MPs aligned to the Eldoret North MP William Ruto, the Prime Minister is still the darling of the majority of the Kipsigis people.
The community is not comfortable with the political alliance an coalition TNA_URP, but the people here are willing t vote for Ruto if he is contesting the presidential seat alone on his own on URP party ticket.
The people of this region, which is part of the expansive Rift Valley Province, are not comfortable with Ruto-Kenyatta alliance as simple mischievous and political sell-out. They are viewing such an alliance as it seeks to sideline other Kenyan communities from the mainstream of national politics in the country and as such could be recipe to chaos and mayhem.
I also discovered that the normal quiet UDM party which is led by the retiree former Dept CGS Lt.Gen {rtd}.John Arap Koech, who is himself a highly respected Kipsigis personality is the second most preferable political movement after the ODM. What the UDM must do in order to build its credibility is put its grass root structures on the ground. It should conduct its grass rot election and set in motion its activities in the region.
Ends