Anti-Ruto rebellion intensifies

Bomet Governor Isaack Ruto and Deputy President William Ruto have fallen out.

By ROSELYNE OBALA

KENYA: Supremacy battles between Deputy President William Ruto and Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto continue to escalate, with leaders from Rift Valley beginning to take firm positions along the two politicians.

Accusation and counter accusations have marked the battle, with politicians allied to the Deputy President accusing the Bomet Governor of disrespect.

The Bomet County boss and chairman of the Governors Summit, on his part, has accused Ruto of undermining Governors and county governments in a bid to roll back devolution gains.

The political war between the two senior politicians from the Rift Valley that dates back to mid last year when the Bomet Governor spearheaded a campaign for a referendum to increase the percentage of money allocated to counties is threatening to get ugly.

The recent public accusations by Kuresoi MP Zakayo Cheruiyot and Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter against Ruto over what they claimed was his failure to ensure equal sharing of State position with TNA signify revolt in the Deputy President’s backyard. Cheruiyot hit at the Deputy President for what he termed an attempt to gag URP leaders from demanding 50-50 sharing of positions within the Jubilee coalition’s government.

State jobs

“We are told to remain silent because it is not our right to demand positions as a community as this amounts to perfecting tribalism while our counterparts are taking almost all jobs in government. I will not keep quiet when one tribe is getting the biggest share,” said Cheruiyot.

Speaking in Kapkitony village in Bureti constituency, Kericho County, during the burial of his sister, Cheruiyot, just like his Nandi Hills counterpart Keter, pointed to the failure of the DP to speak for the party. The rebellion seems to be gaining momentum, with Cheruiyot, Keter and Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony now being allied to the Bomet Governor.

Notably Ruto has not down played the rebellion and has lately been in tours of the South Rift in an attempt to forestall further fallout with residents and leaders from the region that is the most populous in the Rift Valley.

One of the accusations by Governor Ruto is that the DP has a soft spot for Senators and has used them to try and undermine the county bosses.  “He (Deputy President) has been calling delegates to his home to get a brief on how best to undermine Governors and county governments yet when we raise the issues, we are branded disrespectful to him. We shall continue to voice the truth and push for full implementation of devolution,” Ruto, the Bomet Governor, said.

He added: “I have respect for the DP, but it does not mean that I am his sycophant like the Senators and MPs. I have always told him the truth on matters affecting the people at the grassroots and I will continue to champion for devolution”. The Governor says he is loyal to ideas, not personalities.

Cheruiyot released a hard-hitting statement recently, claiming the Deputy President was undermining him and that he was aware he had organised a meeting in Kuresoi on January 23 meant at advancing the course.

“We contributed our time and resources to set up the United Republican Party (URP), campaign for the President and his Deputy and we shall not be cowed from speaking the truth. He should respect other leaders and earn respect from them,” Cheruiyot said. “Why has the Deputy President been entertaining delegations meant to backbite other leaders? Why does he operate on gossip and hearsay?” Cheruiyot said

He said it was important for the President and his deputy to show leadership and stop issuing careless statements regarding insecurity and other serious matters in the country.

“When leaders disagree with you in principle, it does not mean that they want to bring down your government or are after your position. You do not need to be paranoid like is being witnessed at the moment,” said Cheruiyot.

Abdicated roles

Governor Ruto said Senators had abdicated their roles and became apologists of the system, instead of representing and protecting counties as provided for in Article 96 of the Constitution.

“Senators in the Jubilee, especially those from Rift Valley, have unfortunately become sycophants and are competing trying to please the national government. It is a very unfortunate situation that we are faced with as a country,” said the Governor.

 “The level of sycophancy currently replicates what used to happen during the Kanu regime by leaders who were seeking handouts from those in power,” Ruto said adding: “Some of these Senators seems not to have woken up to the reality that the two levels of government — county and national governments — are entrenched in the Constitution and as such can not be wished away,” Ruto said. The Governor said URP leadership no longer engages in consultation as before the last General Election and as such, don’t read read from the same script. A barrage of criticism has been leveled at the Deputy President over the recent government appointment that has been described as skewed in favour of TNA.

“Ruto has clearly shown unease in relating with the Governors in Rift Valley and especially the South Rift region. He feels that the Governors are becoming powerful due to devolved system of governance,” said former civic leader Ronald Ngeny.

Round the clock

Ngeny said the Deputy President was working round the clock to undermine Governors, who apparently President Uhuru on the other hand prefers to work with.

Apart from skewed allocation of resources and appointments, the other headache for Jubilee in Rift Valley is the resettlement of displaced families (IDPs). “There are questions over resettlement of evictees in Mau forest who are still in camps in Kuresoi and Konoin constituencies despite the Government having allocated money for that purpose,” former Bomet County Council chairman John Kalya said.

Residents of the South Rift say despite the President and his Deputy having in 2005 raised serious issues over eviction of families from South West Mau forest (Narok South), they have not sorted out the matter a year after ascending to power.

 “The President has not bothered to resolve the issues relating to the resettlement of evictees in Narok South, Kuresoi, Mauche and Nesuiet regions,” said Jonathan Rono, a cleric in Njoro.

“Residents of the South Rift region have the feeling that the North Rift has been favoured in resource allocations, especially infrastructural facilities and that the discrepancies must be corrected,” said Rono.

Rono said one of the issues that the residents want addressed relates to subsidised fertilizers that for years are usually delivered in depots in the region long after the planting season.