KALENJIN, LUO AND MAASAI ELDERS IN A CRUCIAL MEETING IN KISUMU RESOLVE TO SUPPORT THE PRIME MINISTER ODINGA OVER THE CONTROVERSIAL MAU FOREST.
Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.
A GROUP of Kalenjin, Maasai and Luo elders yesterday {Thursday} held a crucial meeting in Kisumu City, and unanimously resolved to support the concerted efforts of the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga in the conservation of Mau Forest Complex.
They endorsed the government effort in evicting illegal squatters out of the important water tower and gave their blessings to the PM.
They pleaded with the PM to relieve some of the Kalenjin Ministers of their cabinet positions, for standing on the government’s way, to conserve the much raped and ravaged Mau Forest Complex.
The elders charged that some of the Kalenjin Mps, who are very vocal, agitating over the Mau eviction, are not genuinely speaking for their constituents, but serving their selfish political interests.
The more than 100 elders from the Rift Valley Province, told their Luo-Nyanza counterparts, that they were convinced, some of the Kalenjin MPs were using the Mau issue just for the purpose of settling personal political scores.
The elders confirmed that some of the so-called squatters had homes elsewhere, but were invited by the politicians to fake their landlessness, and to join the genuine evictees in their transitional camps, so that they could benefit from the government cash money for compensation and possible new farms for resettlement.
The Kalenjin elders faulted the use of Kalenjin FM Radio Station for inciting the population against the government. They called for a strict scrutiny of programmes ,which are being aired by these stations before such are passed onto the listeners..”Some of the programmes amounted to war-cry”, said an elder, who requested for his anonymity.
“The ongoing war in the ODM has nothing to do with Mau controversy. The eviction is just the normal government policy to conserve the important water tower and rain catchment region, and as such should not be made to look like Raila Odinga’s own personal interest”, said Mzee Said Chepkeitany, who led the Kalenjin Elders.
Mzee Said Chepkeitany, the son of the late Salim Chepkeitany, the former Paramount Chief of Keiyo,.said some Kalenjin Ministers and MPs have been working overnight to sabotage Raila Odinga as the Prime Minister and the ODM leader through petty jealousies. And the only option that remain for the PM is for the PM to remove such dishonest Minister from the cabinet, and replace them with those willing to work collectively with other cabinet members.
One Kalenjin elder accused the Minister for Agriculture, William Ruto, for applying double political standards, which could see the community being consigned to political limbo after the year 2012 general election. Ruto, who is on record fordismissing the retired President Daniel Arap Moi as a spent force, and a man whose activities were no longer relevant to the modern politics in this country.
“He, Ruto has called for the Kalenjins to rise and fight for for Mr. Moi’s tea farm and factory in Kaptagich in Kuresoi. Perhaps Ruto want to attract Moi’s support in his current war with Raila, so that he could come out of the political dilemma, but Moi is not all that a cheap person, and the former President understand Kenya’s politics than anyone else’s and cannot be hoodwinked by the likes of Ruto”.
In a joint resolution signed by Kalenjin, Maasai and Luo Council of elders, they urged their communities to give unqualified support to the Prime Minister Raila Odinga to the bitter end to avoid being “auctioned” like cattle by selfish sellout politicians, who are hell-bent in using them for power bargain.
The Kalenjin elders also took an issue with their MPs for sponsoring and supporting a splinter group of Kalenjin Council of Elders outfit, after they failed to get the support from the genuine and duly elected Kalenjin Council of Elders. A parallel Kalenjin Council of Elders was recently launched in Eldoret, consisting of former security officers in the Moi regime, and retired Permanent Secretaries and army generals. “These are the people who are known to have milked and frustrated the community during Moi’s regime and cannot pass any test of community leadership”, they said.
Meanwhile, a Kericho politician has warned the Kalenjin not to allow themselves to be sold cheaply by their MPs, but to continue backing the efforts of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga to conserve the Mau Complex, saying the forest is a life saving for the present and future generations. Many rivers flowing through the Kipsigis region, which is locate to the west of Mau forest have dried up.
The effect of the destruction of indigenous trees and forest in Mau is being experienced in far places like Lake Turkana, lake Bogoria, Lake Elmentaita, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru and in many places in Western Kenya.
Coun. Nicholas Tum urged the Kalenjin MPs to accept the recent hand of olive branch extended to them by Raila Odinga, and rejoin ODM to form a formidable winning team in readiness for 2012.
Those playing the game of doublespeak and trying to put Raila Odinga at ransom for their political expediency would live to regret. The Kalenjin population still support Mr Odinga to the hilt, with exception of few bunch of confused power brokers, hirelings and goons.
Coun Tum who is a nominated Councilor in the Kericho Municipality, however, appealed to the government to look for alternative land for settling the genuine landless people evicted out of the forestland, and to help those willing to move back to their rural homes with transport and Money.
“The whole exercise could have gone on smoothly, had the politician, not seized the opportunity to seek for cheap popularity and publicity, to make themselves look like heroes for the Mau evictees,” said Coun Tum.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
Land was grabbed illegally. Only certain people have large parcels of land, and seems to be enjoying the resources of the country, simply for the fact that the first three leaders of the country came from their communities.
Now that the wind is changing directions, these same people are running amok, and saying that their tribes are being targeted, while the masses do not own any land, but it is their leaders who are using them to protect what they acquired illegally.
Why was it that only certain tribes, during a period in our history, had land buying companies very dominant? What happened to the land these people had, that they had to be settled in other regions, through these land buying companies? How did the prominent people in these areas acquire such large tract of land for themselves, when the rest had to be bought land from outside their region?
It is not an open secret that people, through the virtue of their offices, plundered the country, and that is why even now, the free primary school education scandal is a continuation of the status quo. Let those who robbed people of their land or acquired land illegally, be made to return them forcefully.
A statesman is Mandela who come to office for one term and retired without putting the whole of his clan in power to pilfer what the people had suffered for, for a long time. A statesman with hectares of land, which he can not account how he got hold of, should not be left to retire in peace, while the people he deprived are suffering.
Raila does not have to be the next pm or president of Kenya, but he will be remembered for saving the posterity from ruin. After all all this wealth, what is man if he is not dust from which he came .
These clowns will hold on to anything to discredit the PM.For the whole week there swear word was that they were called MBUTAS .
Look at a person like cheruiyot who was a powerful fellow during Mois tenure. This is a fellow who should be careful not to remind Kenyans that he exists as many have an axe to grind with him. Even if he does not own 5000 acres of land,he owns lots of land illegally acquired using his position.
With his twisted mouthed Isaac,these fellows always appear on TV as defenders of evictees as they insult Raila.There scheme will not last,most of them will not have made it to parliament if it wasnt for Railas party.
As for William and his coast fellow Balala,your stoking fire will be to your undoing as this scheme will not last.William cannot take you far as he only has followers in his zone only.How can he be a presidential material?.
Magara, Magara!,now he has lost his seat,he is on record for hosting a meeting a few kilometers from where his Boss was having an harambee.They say [usitukane mukunga na uzazi ungaliko].
The name given by the PM is correct and should be used on them[MBUTAS].
It is amazing how this article has been authored. Selective memory and amnesia seem to be the hallmark of the writing. The issue of Mau has been politicized and the very same advocates of conservation now were the greatest beneficiaries. The Orange Referendum campaign was all galvanised by the opposition to the conservation effort of the then Minister for Lands, Hon. Amos Kimunya.
The KANU team protested the eviction of the forest invaders and were duly supported by the LDP wing of the NARC Coalition. This saw the birth of KANU/LDP equation that gave birth to the Orange Democratic Movement.
It is the hallmark of good journalism to provide a background to the issues at hand hence objectivity. The posturing of some elements of ODM to posit as the conservators of the same Mau which provided the bedrock of their political success is a fallacy.
Secondly, the supposed ‘duly’ elected Council of Elders is being economical with the truth behind the editorial policy of KASS FM. Theirs is a case of sour grapes. KASS FM was used to full effect by the ODM to galvanise the ODM vote in Rift Valley. The Information Minister attempted to call it to order but was heavily chastised by the ODM and supposed democratic advocates as muzzling freedom of speech and expression. Then it suited them, now it is a threat. What is good for gander should be good for goose.
It is time to appreciate that TRUTH will always prevail and this is the bane for ODM as a party, and the ‘duly’ elected leaders of the Kalejin Council of Elders.
To the editorial honchos of this blog, my appeal is that they should be objective and not just render blind support to politicians. TRUTH IS ETERNITY AS POLITIC IS PERIODIC. Besides, politicians are creatures of the night and not right.
This is a great article, well constructed indeed, no bias.
Mr Biara,
You should tell us what in your view, is wrong with the reporting. The reporter has told us about a meeting which took place at a specific place, the people who attended it, what they discussed, the resolutions they passed and the advise they offered to specific people. To me this is a very objective report.
If you have reason to believe that there is inaccuracy in the report, you should point out where. I should however point out that none of the attendees has complained so far. If you hold different views to those of the participants, it is ok, that is your right, but don’t blame it on the reporter
As for your ‘background’, it is common knowledge that people like the Rutos were in the Orange movement. But they have since come out in their true colors, and every body now knows that they did not hold similar values as the mainstream Orange movement. Otherwise they would not be inciting their people against the Mau project.
Conservation of the rain forests, and bringing order to the chaotic and dangerous land situation in Kenya, were important objectives in ODM future plans for our Country.
Mr. JEJE,
We want list of names, showing us, the people who were there, and that they signed the adduced, memorandum.
We also want real Kalenjin, elected people representing the Kalenjin. We want different people,not the one alleged , nominated, Councilor Tum. This Kericho guy is not a representative of Kalenjin! Who nominated this guy?
When Luo Church representatives gave a statement, they were listed! when the Kalenjin made statement, they were listed! why don’t you list these alleged Kalenjin Elders!
By the way , we are not saying the Luos should not attack our people,
( The Kalenjins )
It is okey. We made a grave error voting for Raila, in 2007. We have learned a bitter lesson! Raila’s and all the Luos who are attacking us are doing a great favour for us. Out of it, we shall keep the bitterness as a reminder, of what we got when we made an erroneous mistake!
Even when Kibaki is setting you Luos up, Raila in particular, you are too dumb to see. Instead you fill your hearts with blind hate for our nation-the Kalenjin Nation!
We shall get compensation, and at the end of it all we shall vote with those who were not animal like – but those who showed us a caring heart!
We shall get out to vote, come 2012, Raila, shall never be any-where near the worst choice we can pick!
You Luos enjoy our homelessness! But remember, we are waiting for a revenge, which is soon to come, come 2012!
Today the PM says that compensation was okayed for the MBUTAS by the parliament. Uhuru, not to be outdone, says that this is not the case, Isaac Ruto, just to create more controversy says that the Omenas were not compensated so the big fish should not been paid.
The fellow was in the mbunge when they pressed the PM to change his stand on none compensation for all, and in parliament they altered that section to take care of compensation.
Since they never want the PM to take the credit in whichever side the tide flows,they will always take the opposite direction of what the PM takes in orders to make look foolish.
Why does Kenyatta son Uhuru hate Raila that much, he doesn’t respect him, come what may. He publicly denounces what his boss says.Why the insubordination?.