Is Ruto digging his own political grave?

Eldoret North MP William Ruto during a press conference at Panari Hotel, Nairobi, on Monday. PHOTO / Peterson Githaiga  

By JOHN NGIRACHU jngirachu@ke.nationmedia.com AND WYCLIFF KIPSANG wkipsang@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Saturday, November 13 2010 at 21:00

Eldoret North MP William Ruto last week returned from The Hague with a mixed bag.

Depending on how one looks at it, Mr Ruto is either in deep trouble or he has improved his political standing with the events of the past week.

Mr Ruto returned from The Hague on November 8 and a day later sensationally said Omar Hassan, the outspoken commissioner of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, had coached and bribed witnesses to implicate him in the 2008 post-election violence.

The same day, three affidavits sworn by the witnesses were made available to the press; with two men later showing journalists the posh safe houses in which the commission had placed them from January this year.

Macharia Munene, a professor of history and international relations, says Mr Ruto is a worried man but he has the benefit of having a good political adviser as he has managed to set the agenda with his activities in the past fortnight.

Prof Munene said the suspended minister’s visit to the International Criminal Court achieved something for him as he got to be heard, and to ask questions, and the court would be duty-bound to listen to his side of the story and look at any evidence he presented.

Mr Ruto was suspended as Higher Education minister over a fraud case and was sued last week by Adrian Gilbert Muteshi, an alleged victim of the 2008 violence, over land grabbing allegations.

Prof Munene said depending on the outcome of the cases, Mr Ruto will have the chance to make the prosecutions appear to his supporters as related to his political ambitions and is therefore being a martyr.

Are personal

But Eldoret politician Kipkorir arap Menjo says using the idea that there is an orchestrated fight against the community would be retrogressive as the cases are personal. Mr Menjo has also criticised the portrayal of Mr Ruto as a courageous man for visiting the ICC.

“If you’re going out because you are a suspect, you can’t come back a hero. He should lie low and sort out his issues first,” Mr Menjo said.

Ken Wafula, who heads the Eldoret-based Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, termed Mr Ruto’s accusations against Mr Omar and the KNCHR a sideshow that would not interfere with or stop the ICC process.

“This is just an act of desperation,” Mr Wafula said, dismissing Mr Ruto’s claims that witnesses who were interviewed in the compilation of the KNCHR and Waki reports were bribed to implicate him.

Mr Wafula said the three men should be arrested and charged with perjury, which is the offence of lying while under oath.

The view is shared by the Kenyan chapter of the International Commission of Jurists, who said yesterday Mr Ruto’s statements and the activities of Ken Wekesa and William Rono demean the victims of the 2008 violence.

“We request the Attorney-General, the Kenya Police and the ICC investigations team to quickly inquire into this matter with a view of establishing whether the conduct of Mr Rono, Mr Wekesa and Mr Ruto is prejudicial to the ICC process and meant to obstruct and/or defeat the course of justice,” said ICJ boss George Kegoro.

Prof Munene calls the commission “small fish” and says Mr Ruto’s most difficult task would be to link other people to it and have people see the whole process as unfair.

The ODM chairman, Mogotio branch, Mr Binott Kiptum sees Mr Ruto’s activities as suicidal and detrimental to his political career.

“He is killing his 2012 presidential bid by throwing kicks at everybody everywhere. He should take a rest and plan how to brand himself outside the Kalenjin bloc,” said Mr Binott, who is also a nominated councillor.

But a human rights activist in Baringo County Mr Harold Kipchumba said the spat between Mr Ruto and KNHCR saying it is may yield information on the violence.