South Rift leaders welcome calls for unity, but fault jibe at 'rebels'

President Uhuru Kenyatta's visit to Bomet County, during which he drummed up support for his deputy William Ruto and lashed out at rebel United Republican Party (URP) leaders, has elicited mixed reactions.

Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto and his Kericho counterpart Paul Chepkwony said now say they are ready for dialogue with other local leaders to foster unity in the region.

During the visit, President Kenyatta called on the local leadership to shun political bickering and instead unite to ensure delivery of services to the electorate. Governor Ruto, however, stood his grounds on calls to dissolve Jubilee affiliate parties, saying such a move would be premature and only meant to serve the political interests of the DP.

He said the dialogue between him, the DP and local parliamentarians should focus on solving issues affecting locals.

"It is important to dialogue as leaders and I want to make it clear that I have never opposed initiatives that seek to address the challenges facing our people. I have only been opposed to some individuals trying to lecture us on what ought to be done," Ruto said.

He added, "As we engage in the talks, we need to respect consultative processes, institutions and divergence in opinion and we should not be forced to buy into other people's ideas."

Addressing a press conference in Bomet, Ruto dismissed the DP's assertion that the region would vote to the last man for the newly-formed Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) in the next General Election.

"Bomet is not Kabete where 'Baba Yao' (Waititu) won the seat on a JAP ticket. If the DP thinks he can parachute the same notion to change the political tide in the South Rift, then the writing is on the wall for him. He must also embrace consultative leadership just as the President called on all leaders to do," Ruto added.

Speaking in Kericho, Prof Chepkwony told The Standard he would also heed President Uhuru's calls for dialogue among local leaders instead of 'washing their dirty linen in public.

"As leaders we have to dialogue because we cannot allow our party to burn," he said.

He was, however, quick to add that this should not be construed to mean that the President's visit to Bomet and subsequent utterances had cowed him.

Kanu Secretary General Nick Salat, who attended the service-cum-fundraising, took issue with leaders allied to Jubilee coalition for politicising the event. Mr Salat noted that Governor Isaac Ruto stayed clear of the politics to avoid polarising the event and dismissed those who thought that the governor had been subdued.

Other leaders from the region also faulted the Jubilee leadership for turning the event into a political platform to attack their opponents.

Pastor Jonathan Rono from Mauche in Nakuru County lashed out at MPs who turned the event into a forum to popularise JAP.

Mr Rono said it was immoral for the Jubilee leadership to go against an agreement agreed between the local leaders and clergymen to put politics aside and use the occasion to welcome the President to the South Rift.

Kuresoi South MP Zakayo Cheruiyot also criticised the President and his deputy for turning the Sunday church service into a political forum.