Ruto brushes off sack threats by URP NEC officials

NAIROBI, KENYA: Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto has dismissed allegations that he had been summoned by the United Republic Party's (URP) National Executive Council (NEC).

Mr Ruto yesterday maintained that URP has not elected any NEC officials and termed those issuing summons as masqueraders.

"We have heard with utter shock that some people are planning to summon some party members including governors and their deputies. The elections that were done were only up to the county level. Any other person pretending to have been elected to a higher office is masquerader," said Ruto.

Speaking at Bomet Green Stadium yesterday during the home coming ceremony for athletes from the county who won medals at the Commonwealth games and Glasgow world athletic championships, Ruto said the party belongs to all members, hence it was wrong for some leaders to purport to own it and use it to pursue their political interests.

Ruto threatened to expose those he claimed had allocated themselves positions without the decision of other party members. He said decisions of the party should come after consultations of all the elected members as they all had equal rights to be treated fairly.

"If indeed they have created positions, then we have no idea and we regard that as informal because as far as I am concerned, all the delegates ought to have been called to elect these officials. Let them not harass us," he added

He vowed to resist any summons from the party, saying upon election, members were free to join any political party in the country.

He said the sitting officials are strangers and have no moral authority to issue threats to elected members of the party. "We in URP do not have NEC. We have never been called to elect the office bearers and so a few individuals cannot sit and allocate positions to individuals without the decision from other party members," he said.

Meanwhile, URP has issued an ultimatum to governors supporting the Pesa Mashinani to either suspend their campaigns or quit the party altogether.

In a terse statement issued in Nakuru County yesterday, the party national chairman Elias Bare-Shill and 47 branch chairmen confirmed that NEC has begun disciplinary procedures against Governor Ruto and others spearheading the campaign.

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He said they have two weeks to denounce the referendum.

"URP has taken a position on the matter and all members are bound by the decision. If anyone wants to go against that decision, then he should quit the party because we have a mandate to deliver on the manifesto, which we promised Kenyans in the run-up to the last General Election," said Bare-shill.

He dismissed as lies claims by the Bomet governor that the party was yet to make a stand on the referendum, saying NEC has been meeting every three months since the last General Election.

Bare-shill, who is also the Fafi MP accused Ruto and a few other governors spearheading the Pesa Mashinani push of working with the Opposition, adding that they must be prepared to face the consequences. "As a party, we have unanimously endorsed the decision to discipline Ruto and other party members supporting the referendum because they are acting contrary to the Political Parties Act," said the legislator.

Bare-Shill challenged Ruto to denounce the referendum and allow the Jubilee Government to initiate a process of increasing national revenue allocation to the counties through Parliament.

"Ruto and other governors are being used by CORD. Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is using the same tactics he used during the grand coalition government," he said. The MP said it was true that counties require more money to handle devolved functions, but added that governors must accept to be held accountable for funds they have so far received.