Governor Ruto woos Emurua Dikirr MP and former councillors

County Commissioner Abdi Hassan, Speaker Isaac Terer, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and James Bett (Kesses) at the burial of former Kesses Councillor Sylvester Cheruiyot in Uasin Gishu County on Saturday. The leaders accused Kericho Senator Charles Keter of betraying them in the recent Government appointments. [PHOTO: PETER OCHIENG/STANDARD]

Governor Isaac Ruto over the weekend courted the outspoken Emurua Dikirr legislator Johanna Ng'eno and former councillors to join his camp, a move likely to heighten political activity in the South Rift region.

Mr Ruto and his Kericho counterpart Paul Chepwkony met with Ng'eno during the inauguration of the new chairman of the Kipsigis Myoot Council of Elders Milgo Bartai.

Ng'eno publicly declared his supportfor  Governor Ruto after a lengthy talk to iron out some pending issues, adding that the governor is the only leader who can unite the South Rift region.

This is particularly telling after the URP party expelled nine nominated Members of County Assembly (MCAs) from Bomet County for allegedly working against the party.

The expulsion is widely seen as a move to weaken Governor Ruto's hold on the assembly.

"We have seen how the national government has dumped our people after winning the elections.

South Rift people, under the able leadership of Governor Ruto must team up to ensure our people living in the Mau forest are not tortured as we witnessed in Narok county recently," Ngeno said.

SECRET MEETING

"During the 2013 campaigns, Jubilee promised to resettle the IDPs who were evicted during the regime of CORD leader Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki, but up to date, they have been forgotten. Now, they have worsened the situation by evicting them," he said.

Ruto has promised to bring together leaders from Nakuru, Kericho, Bomet and Narok counties in a consultative meeting to stop the evictions, which has left several families out in the cold.

The three leaders later held a secret two-hour meeting at the Tea Research Foundation at Kericho town grounds.

The governors' meeting with the former councillors is seen as move to consolidate support from the group who still wield influence in the areas they represented.

The hastily convened meeting is thought to have been mooted after Kericho Senator Charles Keter told the Press in Kericho town that URP had began taking disciplinary action against errant party members.

The former councillors also remained tight-lipped over their deliberations with only Joseph Soi saying that they had met the governors to petition them to draft a bill, which would see them enjoying retirement benefits like former MPs.

"We also served the nation by playing a key role on the social, economical and political scene.

We should also be allowed to enjoy retirement benefits and other perks being enjoyed by former MPs," said Soi.

Ng'eno, who was present during the meeting has in the past clashed with the governors at public forums in Kericho over a number of political issues.