Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town.

It was a day when the Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga turned the heat on his critics in the South Rift region when he met with large delegates from all the eight parliamentary constituencies within the two counties of Kericho and Bomet on a first face-to face encounter in a very controversial public forum..

The meeting was held at the Tea Research foundation of Kenya complex which is located about 12 kilometers east of Kericho town in an area which is bordering the controversial Mau Forest Water Tower.

It was originally planned for few selected delegates from the eight constituencies, but the attendance overwhelmed the organizers when some groups even travelled in matatu and bus loads from as far as Chepalungu,Bomet and Trans-Mara districts. The institute is located in Kipkellion Constituency.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by two cabinet ministers and two assistant ministers. They were James Agrey Orengo {Lands}, Henry Kosgey {Industrialization}.Two Assistant Ministers Mrs Beatrice Kones {Home Affairs} and Magerer Lang’at {Energy who was the host.

Also in attendance were the Kipsigis community leaders who included the former Deputy CGS Lt. Hen {rtd} John Arap Koech, former Finance Assistant Minister Charles Kirui and former Konoin MP Mzee Nathaniel Chebellion, professionals, civic leaders and Kipsigis Elders, youths and women groups The Road Minister Franklin Bett who is on an official tour of the US sent an apology through his wife Mrs Alice Bett a prominent Kericho lawyer. Another legislator Dr Joyce Laboso also sent her apology;

Odinga brought two constitutional experts one a lawyer and senior lecturers from Moi University, Eldoret. Who dwelt at length in the interpretation of the packages contained therein the new counties governance and their long term impact on the people lives.

Raila said the main agenda of the meeting was post-referendum civic education for the purpose of sensitizing Kenyans on the new structure of government as outlined in the new constitution.

It was held amid high tension after a section of the Kalenjin MPs had told the press in Nairobi that the Prime Minister was welcome, but they would boycott the meeting arguing that the development issues should have been given priority instead of constitutional matters.

But the man who should be given credit for the successes of the meeting is Lt Gen John Koech, who travelled the full length and width of the entire Kipsigis region and urged the leaders and all the stakeholders to attend the meeting and to ignore those sending them message via mobile phones urging them to boycott the Prime Minister’s meeting.

Gen Koech is the leader of the UDM party. He was forced out of the ODM by the supporters of the Higher Education Minister William Ruto and his right hand man in Kipsigis land Belgut MP Charles Keter.

Other messages sent out by anti-Raila element within the Kalenjin politics urged the resident to shout him down and heckle him, but all these turned out to be pipedream. But Gen Koech who criss crossed the entire Kipsigis land few days earlier prior to the meeting date had dismissed the anti-Raila groups is mischievous people who have lost the direction.

A day before the meeting was held the outspoken Chepalunguy MP Isaac Ruto had told the newsmen in Nairobi the agenda of the meeting was ’weird’. But it came as surprise that the largest delegation in attendance of the meeting was from Chepalungu at the MPs backyard. They flayed their MPs accusing him of playing politics of “selfish interests” and not speaking the truth that could reflect the feeling of the electorate.

The master of the ceremony Hon Magerer Lang’at had difficult time cooling the tempers as speakers after speaker went straight to the throat of the absent MPs from the region. Magerer in whose constituency the meeting was held calmed down the angry speakers and told them to stick to the agenda of the meeting and stop name calling.

But when he took to the podium, Raila accused the legislators from the region of being insincere with the electorate,

Saying that they MPs were only pursuing their personal political agenda.” I pity a section of the MPs from the two counties of Bomet and Kericho for skipping this important forum for claiming that the meeting was political and a campaign tour.”These people should be able to know that the campaign for constitution debate and campaign for referendum are over”,he said.

The Prime Minister sent out a conciliatory note to the residents of the two regions and their leaders saying he was ready to work with them in the concerted effort of building the nation as opposed to politics of antagonism.

In relations to the families who were evicted out of the controversial Mau Forest Complex and all other water catchment areas, the Prime Minister said those camping o the edge of the Mau Forest would be allocated land. The land has already been identified for their resettlement and it will take only a mater of days and weeks.

His sentiments were confirmed by the Land Minister James Orengo who told the meeting that his Ministry had already identified the land which would be soon dished out for settling those living in makeshift camps outside the forest

The Minister said the government would not settle the landless far away from their former habitats and environs. But the Minister warned those who are still insisting pursuing the politics of Mau issue for making cheap political mileage to keep off in order to ensure smooth and faster settlement program.

There has been discontent and mistrust between a section of the Kalenjin MPs and the Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The MPs all of them members of the ODM , the party which is led by Mr Odinga felt he had betrayed them when he sanctioned the removal of illegal settlers from the Mau Forest Complex without compensation.

Other leaders were opposed to the arrest and prosecution of the youths who were protesting against the outcome of the 2007 presidential polls.

The relationship between the prime Minister and Kalenjin leaders had deteriorated in the run up to the August 4 2010 referendum when the government rejected a move to amend certain clauses of the new constitution before the August 4.

Other contentious issues include the sharing out of the cabinet positions and the rejection of the new constitution by voters in the two counties. But on this, those in attendance admitting that they were misled to believe that the new constitution was bad and also blamed lack of properly organize civic education to enlighten the population about the new document could have also led to the fallout.

Throughout his address the Prime Minister steered clear of the forthcoming general election, but urged the people to continue supporting his party to enable him and his colleagues to expedite development of all regions of Kenya.

At the end of the meeting the Helicopter which had brought the Prime Minister and his entourage to the meeting stalled and could not lift up due to mechanical problems. Mr Odinga was forced to disembark from the Chopper and drove by roadmt0o Kisumu from where he caught u with the evening commercial flights to Nairobi. The Chopper was abandoned at the Tea Research Foundation school ground where the two pilots were still struggling with the repair work up to the evening.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com