Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town.
The recently concluded general election in which the euphoria of the URP party swept the board in the South Rift like a tsunami winning nearly all parliamentary, senatorial and governorship positions has created a new political dimension in the South Rift region of the expansive Rift Valley Province.
IT has created a new political dimension among the members of the most populace Kipsigis sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin ethnic groups. It has also created what the political pundits have termed as vacuum political leadership in the agriculturally rich region.
For many years ever since KADU a political party that was involved in s cut-throat competition with the ruling KANU during the pre-independence and post-independence era voluntarily dissolved itself soon after independence in 1963 and merged with KANU.
The Kipsigis land has ever since steadfastly remained under the grip of the ruling KANU. However, the miraculous turn of events occurred during the 2007 general election when the former Kipsigis political kingpin, the late Donald Kipkemoi Kipkalya Kones, the longer serving cabinet Minister under the Moi KANU regime rebelled and teamed up together with the influential Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the combined armed forced of Kenya, Lt. General John Arap Koech and changed the political land-map of the region.
The two forcefully introduced the ODM and its leader Raila Amolo Odinga in the region against the vehement opposition from the pro-Moi die-hard elements. The two criss crossed the full length and width of the region and vigorously campaigned for the ODM, which in turn clinched all the eight parliamentary seats in the South Rift.
Kones retained his Bomet parliamentary seat and was appointed to the Ministry of Works slot in the PNU / ODM coalition government. Unfortunately Kones perished in an aircraft mish up together with the former Sotik MP Miss Lorna Laboso.
Raila Odinga then appointed the colorless former State House Comptroller and businessman Franklin who succeeded Kones at the Works Ministry. Bett, however, lacked the political masterly and magnanimity of the Kones caliber. Under Bett’s stewardship, the former Eldoret North MP William Ruto who had fallen out with the ODM and Odinga began fishing out the party MPs one by one and at the time of March 4, 2013 general election it was only better and the youthful Kipkellion.
The man who should have taken over from Kones had left is Zakayo.K Cheruiyot the current Kuresoi South MP elect. He had served in a powerful position of the PS for the International Security in the Office of the President under the Moi regime.
However, Cheruiyot who is highly respected in Kipsigisland is a man who did not cherish controversies. He is always shying away from controversial political issues, most of the time preferring to concentrate on his own expansive businesses and farming empire. He is arguably the wealthiest Kipsigis man.
Heruiyot the son of an assistant chief in the colonial era the late Mzee Daniel Arap Komuilong from Kapsuito near Litein runs an ultra dairy farm in Kuresoi, several large scale tea farms, sugar cane farm in Kimwani area near Songhor, a wheat farm in Njoro a mixed maize farm in Trans-Mara, and a horticultural farm in Kitengela near Nairobi.
He has also established an ultra modern ICT commercial college in Litein town and sent most of hi spare time supervising his own business and as such shies away from intrigues of local politics.
The politics of the South Rift region has had along history of intrigues. This could be traced back to the days of the late Dr Taaitta Araap Towett, the early Kipsigis nationalist who dominated the politics of the Kipsigis land ever since 1958 when he first won the election to the colonial Legislative Council as the member for Southern area. Towett and his team won all the four seats in the national Assembly. However, Towett resigned his Buret seat when KADU dissolved itself and merged with KANU arguing that since he was elected on KADU ticket he must go back and consult the electorate and seek for their permission.
IN the consequence by-election that followed, Daniel Moi sponsored a primary school teacher in the name of Alexander Arap Bii who consigned Dr. Towett into premature political retirement. After Towett’s defeat it was the late Ex-Senior Chief Cheborge Arap Tengecha who led a group of ex-chiefs, councilors, missionaries and local leaders to the late President Jomo Kenyatta and to presurerize him to appoint Danile Arap Moi his Vice President, though man believed Dr. Towett had already been tipped for the veep job.,
Toweett regained his seat three years later, but while serving as the Education Minister, he was confronted by Moi at a public rally in Kapkatet and forced to vacate his Buret seat in order to give way for the entry of Prof .Jonathan Ng’eno into parliamentary politics.
At the moment the power politics of the South Rift is gravitating between Isaac Ruto and Charles Keter. The two are staunch supporters of Ruto, but at times acting as protagonists when it comes to local political derby.
In the 2007 there were only eight constituencies in both Kericho and Bomet Counties, but during the March 4 general elections four more constituencies were added. These were Sigowet in lower Belgut near Sondu and Kipkellion West in Chilchila area, Bomet and Chepalungu. This can now give the region a total of 12 parliamentary strength, plus two in Kuresoi South and Kuresoi North in Molo.
Ends
See photos of the swearing ceremony of the Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma with Bishop Dr Washington Ogonyo Ndegfe and the chairman of the Luo Council of Elders Willis Otondi.
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