Supremacy battle intensifies in Ruto turf as Shollei is ejected from Moiben event

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei. [FILE]

The ejection of National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei from a meeting in Moiben, Uasin Gishu, on Thursday has exposed a fierce struggle for political supremacy between county leaders and their national government counterparts.

Shollei, the county woman representative, was ejected by suspected goons during a controversial meeting to distribute milk coolers to farmers’ cooperative societies.

Shortly after she was forced out, the Uasin Gishu County administration claimed that the Deputy Speaker was attempting to undertake a devolved function without involving senior county leadership and other stakeholders.

However, Shollei turned her ire on Governor Jonathan Bii, accusing him of allegedly orchestrating the confrontation that led to her ejection.

The second-term woman representative described the incident as the result of “juvenile behaviour” by senior county politicians who, she said, felt threatened by the launch of 12 milk coolers.

She maintained that the milk coolers project was a national government function and insisted that her ejection was unwarranted.

“Governor Bii is not focused on serving the people. He is driven by self-esteem and ego. This was a project driven by the Ministry of Agriculture at national government level, and one that was initiated by the President when he was Minister for Agriculture. People have been waiting for these milk coolers for a long time,” she claimed.

According to Shollei, those responsible for her humiliation in Moiben had also contacted senior officials at the Ministry of Agriculture, warning them against launching the milk cooling programme in Uasin Gishu.

The Uasin Gishu County government, through Deputy Governor Evans Kapkea, denied any involvement in the confrontation between Shollei and what it described as agitated locals.

“I want to confirm on behalf of the Governor that we are not in any dispute with Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Gladys Boss Shollei,” Kapkea said.

He added: “The only issue that arose during the event is that residents understand the distinction between county and national government functions. Milk coolers and cooperatives fall under county functions, and we have already built several milk cooling plants. We also have an MoU stating that coolers from the national government should be handed over to county governments, which will then identify cooperative societies to benefit.”

Kapkea said the milk coolers were delivered through the Governor’s efforts, and accused the woman representative of attempting to take credit for a project she had not initiated.

Since 2023, politics in Uasin Gishu County have been highly charged, with Senator Jackson Mandago leading a faction that includes Soy MP David Kiplagat and his Kesses counterpart Julius Rutto in questioning Governor Bii’s development record.

Governor Bii, meanwhile, has had a strong defender in Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi. Shollei and her Moiben counterpart Phyllis Bartoo have largely remained silent on county political disputes.

A section of locals claimed that Shollei was not ejected for launching the milk coolers, but due to her prolonged absence from the area.

“The woman representative brought the milk coolers without a clear distribution plan. As farmers’ representatives, we feel she has been out of touch for many years. Milk cooling is under the Ministry of Agriculture and is a devolved function. The county already had its own plan for implementing the project,” said Uasin Gishu Kenya National Farmers Federation representative Ruth Maraba.