Ruto Dimisses Isolation Conspiracy

Maureen Mudi/Francis Mureithi
19 August 2010

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nairobi — HIGHER Education minister William Ruto yesterday demonstrated his political shrewdness by moving into survival mode and backing out of a confrontation with his rivals.

He made light of claims by his allies that there is a plot by Prime Minister Raila Odinga to isolate and neutralise him ahead of the 2012 General Election.

His supporters claim they are being targeted to marginalise them and that another reshuffle is planned to get rid of Ruto altogether.

Yesterday in Mombasa, Ruto played down his exclusion on Tuesday from the Cabinet committee for the implementation of the constitution and asked Kenyans to "ignore people who act as if they are still campaigning for Yes or No in the referendum".

Ruto said it is irrelevant to focus on "who is appointed into which committee", adding that it was "time to stop keeping the country in a state of tension and conflict".

"Ignore those who want to take us back to the Yes and No camps. That period is over and now we have to focus on the implementation of the new constitution," he declared.

"Changes will be made. I have no doubt about that even if it takes weeks, months or years. It is a fact that there are issues that need to be tackled. We have made a step in changing the constitution and we shall make many others," said Ruto after opening a seminar at the Kenya Association of Technical Training Institutions.

"Ruto is smart. He has obviously decided to move on and leave the referendum behind him. He will work the system, even if his supporters are being sidelined," said one analyst.

However his key supporters seemed unsure they could navigate the political obstacles ahead.

Information minister Samuel Poghisio told the Star that Monday's Cabinet reshuffle specifically targeted Ruto.

"There are not many ways of reading politics. Playing games with the people of Rift Valley is not a good thing at all. Obviously Ruto is the man to watch, or to be punished," said Poghisio.

Former Environment assistant minister Jackson Kiptanui, who was sacked on Monday, said the government was bent on locking out the No team from the implementation process, contrary to an earlier pledge.

"I'm not bitter that I have been replaced but I'm disappointed because the two principals promised several times that no one would be victimised. But it seems there is a systematic way of replacing those who opposed the new constitution," he stated.

Kiptanui was replaced by Eldoret East MP Margaret Kamar who supported the Yes side. Ruto's only remaining ally in Cabinet is Justice assistant minister William Cheptumo.

"By sacking Kiptanui, the Prime Minister is definitely trying to clip the support and powers of Hon Ruto. That sacking means Ruto is systematically weakened," Konoin MP Julius Kones told the Star yesterday.

In April, at the height of the campaigns over the new constitution, Ruto was demoted from the high profile Agriculture ministry to Higher Education in a straight swap with Dr Sally Kosgei, another close ally of Raila from the Rift Valley.

Higher Education ministry controls three parastatals compared to Agriculture that oversees about 30 state corporations.

In the same April mini-reshuffle, close Ruto ally and Belgut MP Charles Keter was sacked as Energy assistant minister and replaced by Kipkelion MP Mergerer Langat, a key ally of the PM.

"If Raila had the power and means, Ruto would have been out of the Cabinet long ago. I do not believe the Kibaki is part of this scheme because if the President was part of it, Ruto would have gone a long time ago," said Kones.

Though he is not the appointing authority, Raila decides who from ODM will serve in the coalition government as per the National Accord signed by the two principals in 2008 to end the post-election violence. Kibaki chooses the PNU side of Cabinet.

In February Odinga suspended Ruto over his role in the multibillion-shilling maize scandal last year but was overruled by President Kibaki minutes later.

The PM has reiterated in numerous forums that "errant ministers" from his party should be dealt with.

"In Kenya, politics never ends. You cannot rule out people trying to settle political scores which is unfortunate," said Law Society of Kenya chairman Kenneth Akide. He backed the decision by Kibaki and Raila to exclude Ruto from the Cabinet implementation committee.

"The people who were at the pinnacle of the No campaigns shouldn't come into centre stage of enforcement. You can consult them as you consult any other citizen but not put them in the driving seat," Akide said.

Wareng County Council Chairman Paul Kiprop, a close ally of Ruto, said the minister cannot be pushed out of power because he has a sizable number of voters behind him.

But Isaac Kiprop, Kanu secretary at Ziwa in Ruto's Eldoret North constituency, says the minister has made political blunders that he will live to regret.

"He has battles of all kinds to deal with. In ODM he has boxed himself into the periphery and during the referendum he misled his people to vote No when he knew very well that the country wanted a new constitution," said Kiprop.

Eldoret Mayor William Rono, a Ruto ally, said "Ruto will remain in the centre of our politics no matter what happens. He has managed to have a huge constituency of supporters who will stand by him at all times".