War over Raila rages on

By Steve Mkawale, Peter Atsiaya and Vitalis Kimutai

Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Agriculture Minister William Ruto may not admit it but their political blocs are at war as Orange party bickering flared up on Monday.

The new war rekindles skirmishes from the last few months, between two key planks of Orange Democratic Movement — Rift Valley and Nyanza MPs. One side asked Raila to sack ministers and MPs they perceive to be ‘rebels’, while the other claimed Raila was ‘drunk’ with power as PM, and had forgotten those on whose shoulders he rode to the big office.

And Nominated MP Musa Sirma who, in language and disposition has broken off with Mr William Ruto, said those fighting Raila were writing down their political epitaph because the PM enjoys grassroots support in Kenya’s largest province.

Raila went to Chepalungu over the weekend but local MPs kept off, a signal the after-taste of Mau Forest upcoming evictions, is still bitter in the Rift MPs’ mouths.

Prime Minister Raila odinga: Rift MPs call Raila dictator, party-breaker and ungrateful as Nyanza MPs demand sacking of Cabinet ministers opposed to him.

On Monday they spoke, some bitterly about Raila. But the PM, who has said he will neither be blackmailed nor forced to go back on his word that Mau must be cleared of human settlement, told the MPs he could bypass them and directly engage the people of Rift Valley.

The Agriculture Minister said, " I do not want a shouting match between the Prime Minister and myself. I am preoccupied with the famine that is ravaging the country. I want to help Kenyans afford food easily."

But on his part, Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto who snubbed Raila’s visit to his constituency over the weekend, said, "We are not his hostages, we are free and independent and if he does not recognise us as elected leaders then we have no obligation to accord him respect since this is a two way traffic."

He added: "Raila is drunk with trappings of power and pampering that come with being the Prime Minister."

Cheragany MP Joshua Kuttuny expressed worry the party was headed for a split, adding: "Raila is a known party-breaker, and if he succeeds in breaking ODM as he is trying to do, it will be to his disadvantage since he will still need us in 2012."

Kutuny accused the PM of undermining MPs through their opponents in their constituencies to fight growing opposition against him in Rift Valley. "What he did (in Chepalungu) was simply in bad taste and not befitting a leader of his stature. We do not want to fight him, but he is resorting to desperate tactics to handle the opposition against him. This will only serve to alienate him further," he said.

Take firm action

But from Nyanza, Assistant minister Ayiecho Olweny, and ODM MPs Mr Polyns Ochieng’ (Nyakach), Mr Fred Outa (Nyando) and Mr Shakeel Shabir (Kisumu Town East) said Raila should sack ministers and assistant ministers who defied him on Mau issue.

They argued the actions of some of the Rift MPs was no longer ‘excusable’ and asked Raila to take a firm action, ‘once and for all.’’

"Cabinet reshuffle is long over due. If dropping defiant ministers would save Mau then be it," said Mr Ochieng, adding President Kibaki should take advantage of this situation to trim the bloated Grand Coalition Cabinet.

Prof Olweny said: "Raila should get these stubborn ministers out of the Cabinet… Some of them don’t deserve to be ministers and assistant ministers."

Outa claimed the country’s political leadership had plunged the nation into darkness, a trend he argued should be stopped.

He added the PM should drop defiant ministers and replace them with those ready to work with him from the same region.

"We have so many qualified MPs who can take up the ministerial positions being held by the defiant ones and Raila should elevate them."

Shabir said Raila’s decision to deal directly with affected people would expedite the process of moving settlers from Mau forest to save the water catchments from further destruction.

The MPs said Rift Valley MPs were serving the interests of rich people who served in the last regime and who grabbed land in the water tower. They added that some of the MPs were protecting land they grabbed in the forest.

But Kuresoi MP Mr Zakayo Cheruiyot claimed Raila was, "doing what he knows best — generating conflicts among the people for his selfish ends."

The former Office of the President PS who claimed Raila was out to scandalise Rift MPs went on: "This is simple dictatorship, it is laughable that he has chosen to go that way and he will bear the consequences of his move."

The Chepalungu MP said leaders from the region would continue to tell the people Raila is "one who does not keep or respect friends and a dictator to the hilt."

He added: "We regret as a region to have voted for a man who has no respect for elected leaders, who lacks courtesy and too full of himself with an illusion of power that does not exist."

PM free to visit the region

"I am sure that 90 per cent of those fighting Raila will not see the inside of Parliament come the 2012 polls," said Sirma and warned those ‘fighting’ the PM they would suffer from the backlash as he was still popular in the region.

Kipkelion MP Magerer Langat said Raila was free to visit the region in his capacity as PM, "but to imagine he can do so without consulting local MPs is unacceptable."

"If he thinks he can work directly with the people without consulting the MPs then he is fooling himself. He should involve MPs just like the president involved leaders in Nyanza recently," Magerer said.

He said the region leaders have no problem with Raila as long as he recognises respect is "mutual and reciprocal".

Kutuny argued Raila risked being perceived to be under-rating the intelligence of those who voted for him.

"Forget about Omar Bongo of Gabon and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, the real dictator is here in the person of Raila Odinga," he said.

Kutuny added: "It is good that the PM has opened his heart and spoken his mind of what he thinks and feels of Rift Valley MPs, we have waited for this opportunity for long."

Kutunyi claimed that Raila was moving around with parliamentary losers in the region, as he was uncomfortable with independent-minded MPs.

Bomet mayor Leonard Barsumei and Rift Valley ODM-K representative Sammy Seroney Barsumei said Raila was disrespectful to MPs.

"The Canaan he has been promising to take the people of Rift Valley may never come," Barsumei said.

"Sirma was rejected by voters in Eldama Ravine and should not mislead the PM into taking suicidal moves," said Seroney.

Other MPs who hit out at their Rift Valley colleagues were: Mr Cyprian Ojwang (Uriri), Mr Oyugi Magwanga (Kasipul Kabondo), Mr John Pesa (Migori) and Edick Anyanga (Nyatike)