By Beauttah Omanga

The next one-week will be crucial to Prime Minister Raila Odinga to either redeem his dwindling support in the South Rift or lose it further depending on how the Mau evictees’ resettlement is finalised.

Pushed to the wall by his own lieutenants in the region led by Roads Minister Franklin Bett and Assistant Minister Magerer Langat, Raila in a meeting with South Rift leaders announced that all the evictees would be resettled by the end of this week.

But it has now emerged that leaders in areas identified for resettlement have vowed to stop the evictees from occupying the land.

Surprisingly, the resistance is said to be spearheaded by members of Raila’s ODM party.

While Bett and Magerer announced with enthusiasm that finally the evictees would be resettled in parcels in Nakuru and Kericho counties, East African Community Minister Musa Sirma led a section of residents in Nakuru area in vowing never to allow outsiders to be settled in the area before landless locals were considered.

 As far as Raila is concerned a deal had been struck to resettle 500 families on the 3,000-acre Majani Mingi farm in Rongai. While the PM acted to forestall a potential falling out with his key allies, Sirma, who is an ODM minister, is now frustrating his efforts.

Resigned from committee

 Two weeks ago, all the four MPs drawn from the South Rift, including Bett, Magerer, Beatrice Kones and Joyce Laboso resigned from an ad hoc committee formed by the PM to oversee the Mau resettlement with threats to reconsider their association with the party if Mau evictees were not resettled.

The leaders accused the PM’s office of failing to act as per his earlier promises together with Lands Minister James Orengo.

Fearing that the MPs were about to bolt out, sources said Raila quickly organised a meeting between the four MPs and some elders to seek a compromise on the Mau issue. It was at that meeting that the PM promised to have the issue concluded.

The MPs went to Kericho County to announce that a solution had been found and the evictees would be resettled. But a day later Sirma presided over a meeting where Rongai residents vowed to oppose the planned resettlement until they were also given land.

Speaking in Kericho, Bett who is the chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee without naming names pointed an accusing finger at a Cabinet minister whom he said was plotting to block the resettlement.

 The resettlement is now threatening to cause a falling out between Raila and ODM legislators from the region.

“The PM is not simply serious in helping us end the issue that has seen our friends accuse us of failing to use our continued support to the PM to have our people resettled,” said Magerer.

The assistant minister and Laboso expressed fears that the Mau issue was being used to deny them votes and wanted it resolved soon.

However, the MPs failed to confirm or deny they were under pressure to decamp from the PM’s camp over the Mau saga.

After a firm promise that the Government was now determined to resolve the matter, the MPs shelved announcements to abandon the PM.

Speaking to The Standard On Sunday, the MPs said they were waiting to see if the Government was fully committed to resettle Mau evictees before they decide whether to continue supporting the PM.

“We are not thinking of leaving the party as yet; all we are demanding is that our people be resettled,” said Laboso.

She suggested that the victims be given cash to buy land if communal resettlement was a challenge.

Running mate

 Speaking at various rallies in the South Rift region, URP leader William Ruto exuded confidence that it was a matter of time before the MPs defect.

The PM has all along been banking on Bett and his colleagues to give him the mandatory 25 per cent votes from Kericho and Bomet counties, and it is a real test on how he handles the Mau issue.

Besides the Mau issue, the South Rift region has demanded that Raila consider picking Bett as his running mate.

The Roads Minister has already declared that he has what it takes to be a running mate while Industrialisation Minister Henry Kosgey is also positioning himself for the position.

On whom Raila finally appoints, as his running mate will largely determine the trend of the Kibaki succession in the larger South Rift.