What awaits Kibaki in the Rift Valley

By Titus Too and Edwin Cheserek
President Kibaki is today the guest of Rift Valley MPs who have rebelled against Prime Minister Raila Odinga and complain their community is targeted by The Hague and Kenya’s anti-graft agency.
The President will share a platform with two leaders who have had to leave his Cabinet because of cases brought against them by Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission: Eldoret North MP Mr William Ruto and Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey.
Whereas Ruto was forced to step aside while Kosgey, who is the Orange Democratic Movement chairman, opted to resign hours before he was charged by KACC, both are also in Ocampo Six. Kosgey, who had been Raila’s high-profile loyalist, left after Ruto declared that Kalenjin leaders were looking for a new political home, and that ICC and KACC cases put to doubt whether he will stick with him, especially following claims he and Ruto were about to relinquish ODM national offices.

Eldoret North MP William Ruto and some of the 15 MPs from Rift Valley, Western and Central provinces who met at Ruto's Sugoi farm in Eldoret North, Thursday. The MPs are expected to receive President Kibaki in Eldoret today (Friday). [PHOTO: Peter Ochieng/STANDARD]

Kalenjin MPs, who have vowed they were turning to President Kibaki against Raila, who they claim betrayed them after the 2008 power-sharing deal, have made no secret the visit will be an anti-Raila platform.
Though State House insists the visit is a national reconciliation effort, the leaders are mobilising residents to attend today’s rally in Eldoret and predict at least 50 MPs will attend.
Among those expected is Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.
Last evening, 15 MPs from Central, Coast, Western, North Eastern and Rift Valley left Nairobi and landed in the home of the Eldoret MP’s home in Sugoi aboard a police helicopter. They included Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa who has been featuring in Ruto’s rallies, and whose message has been it is time for the youth to take over Kenya’s leadership.
Expected to visit
They are expected at the rally in Eldoret’s Sixty-Four Stadium and other areas of North and South Rift the President is expected to visit.
Last week, all MPs from the Rift, agreed not to defend their leadership positions in the party during March’s ODM grassroots elections. The Kalenjin MPs who met Kibaki at Harambee House this week were Ruto, Kosgey, Prof Hellen Sambili, Mr Charles Keter and Dr Sally Kosgei, who is currently out of the country.
The political significance of the visit cannot be underestimated given political developments taking place in the country, especially given the Tinderet MP’s supporters accused the PM of not defending him over claims he cleared importation of vehicles aged more than eight years.
It also follows the decision by Dr Kosgei to resign her position as Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament. Succession politics have also taken a high profile with Rift Valley and Central Kenya MPs playing a pivotal role.
Ruto, Uhuru and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka have already mooted the idea of working together in the Kibaki succession under the banner of Kalenjin, Kikuyu and Kamba (KKK) Alliance. But it now appears, from the list of attendance expected today, Rift MPs are working with many other leaders from outside the province, Ukambani and Central.
The Standard reliably established that after Eldoret, the President will move to Kapkatet in the South Rift while the MPs will hold two more meetings in Kitale and Bungoma. Majority of Rift Valley MPs are believed to be waiting to abandon ODM at an opportune time.
Yesterday, Uhuru accompanied Cabinet ministers Prof George Saitoti and Mr Kiraitu Murungi to Kirinyaga where they announced Party of National Unity (PNU) would register another party to front a joint candidate in next year’s elections.
The President has been working with the Rift Valley team since Ruto fell out with Raila two years ago over Mau Forest evictions and handling of post-election violence.
Last August, Kibaki visited North Rift to open Eldoret Agricultural Show, a few weeks after Raila suspended Ruto and he reversed the decision. He then met with the Rift MPs.
Mosop MP David Koech, the Rift Valley Parliamentary Group Secretary, confirmed today’s rally was a project of Kalenjin MPs, "keen on uniting communities residing in Rift Valley."
The leaders have broken ranks with Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Kibaki’s main rival during the 2007 General Elections.
Keter however insisted the rally would have no politics but would tackle developmental issues.
Koech also said the event was "a presidential function" and that politics would not dominate its agenda. "We are preparing the ground for the event and we expect more than 50 legislators largely from the Rift Valley to attend," said Koech.
Mr Koech and Keter said the main agenda of the meeting would be development, peace building and resettlement of displaced persons in the region hit by 2007 post-election violence. He said the Government had declared its commitment to close down all transitional IDP camps.
Among other issues lined up in today’s agenda, Koech added, include resettlement of residents forcibly evicted from Kipkurere, Embobut and Mau Forest Complex.
The rally, they said, is the beginning of such other peace tours through the South Rift, Central and Laikipia that the President would make.
Preparations to host the President had been concluded yesterday as Rift Valley Deputy Provincial Commissioner Mr Wanyama Musiambo met civic leaders to finalise plans for the peace rally. He said security had been beefed up to ensure things go smoothly.
In large numbers
County chairmen and mayors from the region said they had concluded mobilisation and expected residents to turn out in large numbers.
Wareng County Council Chairman Paul Kiprop and Eldoret Mayor William Rono said transport would be available for residents wishing to attend the rally. "We expect the President to address the high cost of farm inputs including fertiliser, fuel, as well as poor roads and limited market for farm produce," said Kiprop.
Mayor Rono hinted they would seek audience with the President to discuss politics especially following their falling out with Raila. However Ruto’s aides, Mr Faruk Kibet and Mr Isaac Maiyo, denied the rally was connected to the Kibaki Succession.