HOW SOME KALENJIN MPS ADVISED THEIR PEOPLE TO JOIN THE TRANSITIONAL CAMPS WITH MAU EVICTEES SO THAT THEY COULD BE COMPENSATED AND GET FREE RELIEF FOOD.

NEWS Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town.

IMMEDIATELY after the Mombasa retreat early in November by the cabinet, some Kalenjin Minister and MPs dashed back home and advised their supporters and villagers to rush to the transitional camps and join Mau Forest evictees, in order to attract government compensation.

The villagers were also told that the government would soon open up new settlement schemes for the landless Kalenjin, who had voluntarily moved out of the controversial Mau Forest, at the expiry of the government quit notices.

As the MPs and other busy bodies crisscrossed the entire Kipsigis region in the South Rift, deadly rumors spread like bushfire that the government had received a colossal amount of money, to the tune of Kshs.300 million, from foreign donors. And that the money would be dished out to the Mau squatters, as part of compensation for their loss of forest land.

These false rumors sparked off the movement of people from the entire Kipsigis region, from as as far as Kapkimolowa, Mulot, Long’sa, Sigor, Chemagel{Sotik},Mogogosiek, Litein and to a less extent Kericho and Kipkellio districts.

Hundred of the fake refugees were seen commuting from their  rural homes on board of Nissan Matatu passenger service vehicles plying between Kericho ,Molo and Kuresoi .Other unconfirmed reports say some of the fake refugees were seen commuting back to their homes for the night, only to return to the transitional camps the next morning.

But their hope of getting easy cash money in compensation, and receiving government free  relief food came a cropper when the hawkish eyed government officials, assigned the duty and responsibility of handling and taking care of genuine Mau Forest evictees, noticed there was a great influx of newcomers, and the number of genuine IDP was rapidly getting swollen up threefold.

The nine transitional camps located along the main Molo-Ole Nguruone road had only genuine forest evictees numbering about 2,934. But by the time the government officials discovered, there were more fake refugees in these camps, the total figure having swollen to over 6,000 households.

Those privy to the information regarding the illegal settlers in the South West Mau Forest, confided to this writer that when the issue surfaced, about the impending evictions, some people even used the FM Kalenjin vernacular radio stations, and urged more people to move to the Mau and built their homes in the forest, so that when the time came for the eviction, they would be able to benefit from government compensations. As the forest rangers moved about dismantling dwelling house, they discovered that some of the huts were only erected or built two to three months ago.

At the same time. members of the Kipsigis community have faulted the Minister for Agriculture, William Ruto, for having outrightly rejected the olive branch offered to him by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga , in which he asked all ODM rebel MPs to rejoin the party’s mainstream, so that the group could built a strong and wining team in readiness for the 2012 election victory.

They dismissed Ruto’s reaction to Mr Odinga’s calls for unity as an act of excessive arrogance, which is full of contradictions and miscalculations.

“Ruto should have backed down and reconciled with Mr. Odinga for the interest of the party unity of purpose, ”says Mzee Benjamin Lang’at, a prominent Kericho politician.

Another politician, Mr Daniel Mosonik of Mogogosiek, said the Kipsigis viewed anyone talking about forming a new political alliances with politicians from the Central Province as  “a traitor and a political sellout.”

“We reject Uhuru Kenyatta. Jomo Kenyatta had exercised high degree of tribalism, especially when he used millions of shillings in funds, which was availed by the British Government, meant for buying out white farmers, and settling landless Africans, for settling only the Kikuyus in some parts of the Rift Valley, at the expense of the Kalenjin people who are arguably, the indignant residents of the region..
We reject Uhuru Kenyatta, despite being extremely coerced by the retired Preside Daniel Arap Moi, the man whom we all hold in the highest esteem than Mr. Ruto. This is why we are saying the Eldoret North MP should have consulted widely before talking of forming amorphous political alliances with the likes of Uhuru Kenyatta. No sane Kipsigis man or woman want to hear anything to do with the Kenyattas”, added Mr. Mosonik.

Advancing argument that the Kipsigis is the most populous sub-tribe within the larger Kalenjin ethnic  groups, Coun. Nicholas Tum of Kericho Municipality said, the community and the entire South Rift is not comfortable with the new Ruto strategies. The Kipsigis is very fertile and rich in votes with close to 1.3 million, the community is accounting for almost 4o per cent of close to three million registered voters in the entire Rift Valley.

He said there is the strong presence of the Kipsigis in diaspora districts, and constituencies such as Kuresoi, Rongai, Eldama Ravine, Trans-Nzoia, Trans-Mara,Narok West, Narok South, Cherangany, Uasin Gishu, north and south Nandi districts. He added that William Ruto and his brigades cannot be sure of garnering the Kipsigis votes on their area if Raila Odinga is also running and he is a straightforward leader, totally committed to the law and constitutional reforms and economic advancement of all Kenyans.

”What happened two weeks, ago when the Prime Minister paid a visit to Chepalungu constituency in the absence of the area MP, Hon Isaac Ruto, should serve as deterrent warning to William Ruto to tread carefully, and he must realize that by parting company with Raila Odinga, he stands to lose tremendously” said Mr. Tum.

A Bureti politician, Joseph Mutai, said those Kalenjin MPs who are shouting the loudest political slogans, and hurling insult at Mr.Odinga should consider themselves as  one, five year term MPs. “They will never be heard of after the year 2012. It would be an uphill task for Isaac Ruto to retain his Chepalung seat in this region, “ he added.

Joshua Kutuny{Cheranganyi}, Dr.Julius Kone[Knoin}, Benjamin Lang’at {Ainamoi}, Isaacc Ruto {Chepalungu}, Charles Keter{Belgut] and others who have openly disagreed with the ODM leadership will face the wrath of the electorate come 2012”, warned Coun Tum.

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