Uhuru, Raila, Ruto wars take a new twist

By Biketi Kikechi and Alex NdegwaKey players in the race to succeed President Kibaki have revealed their game plans that include back-to-back forays into areas visited by rivals and vicious campaigns to discredit competition.
On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto began their tour of Nairobi’s Eastlands at Muthurwa market, adjacent to the Country Bus termini, where Prime Minister Raila Odinga held a rally last week.
Last week on Friday, Raila had ended his two-day visit of North-Eastern Province in Moyale, with a bare knuckles attack on the ‘KKK’ alliance, which he dismissed posed no threat to his presidential ambition.
But a day later, Ruto led 10 PNU and rebel ODM MPs to rallies in Moyale, where the Prime Minister was criticised for undermining elected leaders.
On the same day the PM was in Kamukunji constituency, where he — without mentioning names — slurred his rivals as "drunkards, thieves and bhang addicts" and it was apparent on Saturday that Uhuru and Ruto chose the same venue to hit back.
Addressing a crowd at Muthurwa on Saturday, Uhuru and Ruto were unapologetic about their unkind words against Raila, saying they will not soften the attack until the National Cohesion and Integration Commission acts on their complaint against Raila.
They went on the offensive saying whistle blower website Wikileaks had identified the culprits behind the maize scandal.
Coincidentally the attacks seem to have grown bolder as the flurry of meetings since the development in January, when Uhuru, Ruto and Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka revealed a plan they hope would win one of them the presidency next year.
At a church function on January 17 in Kericho, also graced by retired President Moi, Uhuru and Kalonzo watched as Ruto told of joint presidential nominations involving the three.
But in an apt depiction of ‘if life hands you a lemon make lemonade out of it,’ Raila has capitalised on the ‘KKK’, which, though initially intended to tame him politically, he has turned into a weapon against his rivals. The Kikuyu-Kalenjin-Kamba alliance had been touted as the political union involving Uhuru, Ruto and Kalonzo, but it has become a political liability.
Kalonzo and Uhuru have since written to Mr Mzalendo Kibunjia-led NCIC to protest the use of the ‘KKK’ tag, which they say depicts them as tribalists.
But it appears Raila’s advisors have told him to milk as much public support from the tag as possible hence his repeated remark of what would become of other communities if only three were united to seek power.
Raila’s other approach has been to exploit the court cases facing his rivals to question their integrity.
The PM has urged Kenyans to be wary of those fronting for generational change claiming some are tribal chauvinists whose track records are questionable.
Ruto and his group have capitalised on the crackdown on dissent in ODM to cast Raila as an intolerant dictator.
This week in Eldoret accompanied Kalonzo, Ruto launched his boldest attack yet on the ODM leader and, publicly repeated defections are on the cards.
Threatened with expulsion"We built ODM from scratch as a democratic mass party that respects freedom of speech, expression and association. But it has been turned into a dictatorial one with an idol who must be worshipped. Those who do not worship the idol are either removed from the Cabinet, parliamentary committees or threatened with suspension and expulsion. This is unacceptable to us," Ruto said.
And speaking in Samburu a day a later Ruto said: "Wakituletea kisirani tunaweza enda hiyo UDM. Kwani iko nini (If they persist we will defect to UDM. It is no bog deal)".
Uhuru and Ruto, who are among the ‘Ocampo Six’, have accused the PM of pushing for their trials at The Hague to rule them out of the 2012 General Election.
The possibility of trials at The Hague was an initiative of Agenda 4 programmes for justice for victims of post-election violence. The Waki Commission that originated the list of post-election violence suspects was a product of Serena Peace talk, at which Ruto represented ODM.
The ODM-wing of Government led by Raila has opposed deferral of cases at the International Criminal Court. But President Kibaki has signaled the second phase of shuttle diplomacy to defer cases against the ‘Ocampo Six’. The Vice-President leads six ministers to New York to present Kenya’s request for deferral to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon.
Even as Raila keeps up with the tough talk, deputy party leader Musalia Mudavadi has been on low profile diplomatic tours in Eldoret and Iten, Ruto’s turf. He visited the area three times last month – Eldoret, Marakwet and Kapsowar – and returned on Friday to Eldoret, with MP Margaret Kamar to launch a website for Wareng County Council Hall.