Deputy President William Ruto accused of undermining governors

By GILBERT KIMUTAI

Bomet, Kenya: A section of leaders from Bomet County have come out to support Bomet governor Isaac Ruto and accused Deputy President William Ruto of undermining governors.

The leaders blamed the deputy president for current woes facing Ruto especially after he demanded for increased allocation of revenue allocated to the counties.

Former Bomet County Council chairman John Kalya claimed that the Deputy President for his own selfish political agenda, has been funding Senators and MPs to hold press conferences and rallies across the South rift region accusing Governor Ruto of all manner of imagined ills.

"The propaganda coordinated by senators Charles Keter and Prof Wildred Lessan has roped in other leaders and is meant to contain the Governor politically owing to his forthrightness and steadfast push for increased allocation of resources to the counties under devolution which is enshrined in the constitution," said Mr Kalya.

Kalya claimed the sustained onslaught against governor Ruto, who is the chairman of the Council of Governors, meant to taint his image politically and portray him as corrupt.

He asked the Deputy President to show respect for the support he got from the people of Bomet during the last general elections and also respect governor Ruto.

"As people of Bomet County, we would like to caution against the mudslinging against our governor and warn that if the trend continues, it would divided the entire Kalenjin community into blocs," added Kalya.

The former chairman at the same time urged the DP to respect other elected leaders in the region and work together for posterity of the Kalenjin Community.

"Being a senior politician, we all expect him to rise above petty politics and act as a unifying figure in Rift Valley and the entire Kalenjin community - but he has sunk so low," added Kalya.