ELDORET HERE WE COME

He will tour development projects and address meetings in Agriculture minister William Ruto's Eldoret North constituency on March 12 and 13 during a tour of North Rift Valley.
This will be the first time that Raila has ventured into the constituency since he and Ruto finally fell out over the Mau evictions although their relations have been steadily cooling since the December 2007 elections.

Raila is expected to be accompanied by those MPs from the region who are closely allied to him including ODM party chairman and Industrialisation minister Henry Kosgey.

His entourage is expected to include nominated MP Musa Sirma (who has accused Ruto of rigging him out of the Eldama Ravine seat) and Kipkelion MP Magerer Lang'at.
Lang'at openly associates with the PM defying calls by William Ruto and fellow MPs Isaac Ruto and Charles Keter urging him to "return to the fold".

"You cannot separate yourself from your community and prosper," Keter said in reference to Lang'at during a visit by William Ruto to Kipkelion in January.

Yesterday, Kosgey said Raila will address several rallies in the North Rift and the greater Uasin Gishu district. "We will be in the North Rift and after that we shall tour all parts of the country. The tour of Eastern Province will be done shortly," Kosgey added.

Assistant Finance minister Dr Oburu Odinga said Raila's visit to Eldoret North was long overdue and that it was a "good time for him to see and talk to his supporters." Oburu, the PM's elder brother, denied that Raila's political popularity had waned in North Rift particularly Eldoret North. "Only one man has been making noise about us. The rest of the people are with us," Oburu said in reference to the exchanges between Raila and Ruto. "We are going to Eldoret to explain things so that our people in that region can appreciate us our support and know we are together."

In Eldoret, a committee led by Eldoret activist Said Keittany was established yesterday to coordinate the Raila's visit to Eldoret North, Eldoret South and Eldoret East. Cherengany MP Joshua Kuttuny, an ally of Ruto, said Raila was free to visit any part of the country but warned it may be difficult for him to get people to talk to in Eldoret and Rift Valley.
"This man (Raila) is so finished that to be seen with him in the Rift Valley is just like committing political suicide. I know our people will avoid him as much as they can. Those who will be there are those who cannot avoid it," Kuttuny said.

Raila last year went to the Chepalungu constituency of Isaac Ruto after the MP criticised him over the Mau evictions. He overturned a decision to host the new Chepalungu district in Sigor market and directed it be moved to Siongiroi.

William Ruto toured Kisumu town two weeks ago and addressed a large and peaceful rally at Kondele trading centre.

This weekend the PM is expected in Busia town in the Nambale constituency of Chris Okemo. Speaking from Australia where he is on an official visit, Okemo complained that he had been sidelined in arrangements for the PM's visit.

"I have tried to plead with the organisers to change the date of the rally to allow me to attend but they have refused. I have now decided to let the PM and his group do what they want," Okemo said.

He accused the organisers of lacking courtesy and urged the PM to stop undermining elected leaders whose constituencies he planned to visit.
"Raila is free to come home but I want to urge him and his friends to have a little courtesy and respect for duly elected leaders. I wish they had taken time to work on a date convenient to me as the area MP," said a frustrated Okemo.
Okemo denied he was a close ally of William Ruto and asked the ODM leadership to refrain from divisive politics.

Relations between Raila and Ruto started cooling soon after the December 2007 elections when Ruto claimed Raila had shortchanged the North Rift when it came to Cabinet appointments. The situation worsened last year when Raila spearheaded the government drive to evict Mau forest squatters and insisted that there would be no compensation for those without land titles.

Ruto made it clear that he would not support the PM's campaign for the presidency in 2012 as he will be a candidate himself. The situation worsened further when allegations were made that Ruto was behind the sale of strategic maize reserves which cost Kenya Sh2 billion in 2008.

Following the PricewaterhouseCoopers special audit into the maize scandal, Raila two weeks ago suspended Ruto from his Cabinet position pending further investigations.
Raila's order was immediately countermanded by President Kibaki who insisted he was the only one with the powers to suspend ministers. Ruto was then thrown out of the all-important House Business Committee when Parliament reconvened last week.

Ruto was replaced in the committee by Henry Kosgey, Tinderet North MP and close ally of Raila. ProRuto MPs Richard Monda of Nyaribari Chache and Chachu Ganya of North Horr were also replaced on the committee by MPs considered to be amenable to Raila.