Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho town
DISCONTENT is high in Kericho County after the word went around that the area Senator Charles Keter has acquired a brand new Helicopter at a staggering price of Kshs 90 million to the chagrins of the electorate who feels that the colossal amount of money spent on this machine could have been put to proper utilization towards socio-economic projects in the region.
Those interviewed were of the opinion that the County is too small and has all – weather roads, therefore a helecopter not an urgent need for the Senator .They further termed the acquisition of the Choper by the Senator as an act of excessive arrogance.
Among those who raised vehement opposition to the frequent use of the Choper by the Senator as a waste of resources is a Kipkellion politician Pastor Hezron Cheruiyot who said that owning a Choper by an elected representative of the people is not be the priority and yet thousands of Kericho electorates are currently wallowing in abject poverty due to skyrocketing prices of the basic commodities.
The acquisition of the new Choper by the Kericho Senator is viewed local as an act of mischief.
Senator Keter who is known as a spanner-boy for the Deputy President William to is also being accused of using his closeness to the DP to intimidate other elected leaders in the two Counties of Kericho and Bomet. He is roaming the full length and width of the two regions on mischief missions mean to undercut and undermine the two county governors Prof.Paul Chepkwony { Kericho} and Isaack Ruto {Bomet}.
Another Kericho politician who requested for his anonymity said a drunkard MCA representing a wqar in Belgut recently publicly disclosed that he had been paid cash money to the tune of Kshs 40,000 and advised by unnamed politician to use the cash to undermine the Kericho governor by way of moving a motion in the assembly for a vote of no confidence in the governor. He alleged that the excessively drunk MCA displayed the bundled of currency note in a public joint.
Senator Keter attended a Harambee fundraising meeting at Chamagosu in Ainamoi constituency, Kericho County two weeks ago and disclosed the gathering of how he had attended the DP function in Nyeri in the morning of the very day, and in the midday he was in Eldoret with the DP William Ruto where they jointly deliberated in ASK meeting before he flew on to Kericho for the Harambee date.
Those who attendedthe fund raising meeting, which was forthepurpose of raisingmoney for medical treatment of a ailing young man estimated the cost of the Choper flight covering Nyteri, Eldoret and Kericho to be approximately in the region of Kshs 200,000in one day and saw the exercise as a waste of resources. As long as we love our Senator, we feel he should change tact and be coercive and work in unity and harmony with other elected leaders in the the region in the real task of nation building in general and development of Kericho County in particular. He should stop the bad habit of working in isolation as a lone ranger,” commented another Kericho MCA.
One local Kericho politician recalled the old days of power brokers” during the Moi era, which saw when the late Isaack Salat used his close connection to the power that be and polarized the region undercutting and undermining almost every elected leader. The same kind of power brokerage politics was witnessed during the reign of the late Ayub Chepkwony.
The question as to who should be the spokesman of the Kipsigis people; all agreed unanimously that the Kuresoi MP Zakayo K.Cheruiyot deserve that position considering his experience in the public service as one time Permanent Secretary in-charge of internal Security and Provincial Administration and as an MP. Cheruiyot is also considered san achiever, who created Bureti district and singled handedly built the district headquarter a magnificent building standing outside Litein town and accommodating all district heads of department. He has also established the most ultra modern Valley College in Litein.
However, the community only recognized the two County governors Isaack Ruto {Bomet} and Prof.Chepkwony of Kericho as the joint official spokesmen o the Kipsigis people.
The Kipsigis is the most populous sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin ethnic groups. This community occupied the fertile highland region of Kericho and Bomet where green tea bushes is grown in abundance making its members to be relatively wealthier than their cousins in the North rift.
The two regions also boosted the best brains among the other Kalenjin sub-tribes with a large number of technocrat’s ad professionals. The previous regime of the retired President Daniel Arap Moi stands blamed for having marginalized the community by using its members at convenience time and dumped them in preference to numerous power brokers.
In the 2007 general election members of the community gave Raila Odinga and the ODM close to 1.3 million votes. It was almost a man-to-man. However, when the ODM supreme formed a coalition government of PNU/ODM Raila appointed three cabinet Ministers from the minority Nandis wh0s3d=combined voting strength was about 400,000 voters as opposed to 1.3 votes, which the party harvested in the Kipsigisland . Many Kipsigis people also lived in diaspora and they voted for the ODM wherever they were at the time.
Raila dished only one cabinet position to the kisigis when he appointed the late Kuipkalia Kone the Bomet MP as the Minister for Roads with the late Ms. Lorna Laboso asan Assistat Minster for Home Affairs in the Office of the Vice President. The community felt it had been shortchanged and ditched ODM en mess. The mass sacking of Kiopsigis people who had served in the senior position during the Moi era by the PNU/ODM coalition was anther contentious issue which contributed to the community parting company with Raila. The other issue which contributed greatly to Raila burning his finger ws the mass eviction of the Kalenjin illegal squatas from the Mau Forest.
ENDS