RUTO TO RESUME OFFICE THIS WEEK

Monday, 25 April 2011 00:00 BY ISAAC ONGIRI

BACK TO WORK: Ruto was acquitted of charges that led to his suspension.

ELDORET North MP William Ruto has been “cleared” to return to the Cabinet this week as his party ODM vowed to block his reinstatement.
Multiple sources within government confirmed Ruto is expected to resume duty as the Minister for Higher Education from tomorrow, a move likely to spur fresh controversy in the grand coalition government.
ODM senior leaders were yesterday categorical that nobody in the grand coalition has powers to clear Ruto back to the Cabinet without approval of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga who has been on a two-week trip abroad.
Raila is returning home at 6 pm today and is likely to romp into the controversy of Ruto’s planned return to the Cabinet without his blessings."Ruto could actually have returned to Cabinet last week but he wants to do it when Raila is here, so he was waiting for the PM to conclude his trip abroad," a source in government told the Star. “Not necessarily to seek his blessings but it would look awkward to do it with Raila away on foreign trip,” said the source.
Ruto lost his Cabinet seat in October last year over the Sh272 million Ngong Forest fraud charges out of which he was dramatically cleared by the Nairobi chief magistrate Gilbert Mutembei.
Earlier an attempt by the PM to suspend him over the maize scandal was embarrassingly rebuked by the President who only in hours reinstated Ruto.
Reliable sources revealed that some powerful ministers and civil servants around the presidency engineered what is termed as President Kibaki’s verbal clearance of the suspended minister’s return to work over a week ago.
Ruto, on the Easter holiday with his family in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is said to have been advised to report back to work tomorrow. Assistant Minister Kareke Mbiuki, a close ally of Ruto and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, confirmed Ruto has been asked to resume Cabinet duties as there is nothing legal stopping the appointing authority from reinstating him.“It is true he has been cleared and asked to report back to work since judicial matters that led to his suspension have been cleared,” Mbiuki revealed.
Government Spokesman Dr Alfred Mutua when contacted said, “Yes he was cleared a long time ago, now you wait until he returns to work.” Mutua said the law is clear and the reinstatement automatic after the court clearance.
Observers say an objection by Raila to Ruto's reappointment even after he was cleared by the court will send the wrong signal that the PM is taking advantage of the case to settle political scores.
But Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo insists Ruto’s return will not be accepted. "It is the Prime Minister’s sole responsibility to decide who from the ODM side sits in the cabinet". “As far as we are concerned Ruto has other related cases in court. Moreover it is not Kibaki or to decide who becomes minister from the ODM side, we will not allow it. Only the PM can commission his return,” Jakoyo said.
Jakoyo dismissed Mutua’s claims that Ruto has been cleared, saying the government spokesman doesn’t speak for the grand coalition but for the PNU.
While in the US the PM was confronted by some Kenyans who attended one of his functions and asked whether Ruto will now be reinstated in the Cabinet.
Raila answered that whether Ruto returns or not is a question for him and President Kibaki to decide.The PM promised the matter will be discussed and decided soon.
Yesterday Raila’s adviser on Constitutional and Coalition Affairs Miguna Miguna said the PM has not okayed Ruto’s return to the Cabinet.“I can confirm to you that there have not been any consultations or a scheduled one between the President and the PM to discuss Ruto’s reinstatement. The PM will not tolerate anymore attempts to undermine him. Any attempt to return the suspended minister back to office is illegitimate, illegal and unacceptable,” Miguna stated.
Cherengany MP Joshua Kuttuny, a close associate of Ruto, said the Eldoret North MP is ready to go back to the Cabinet after getting nod from the appointing authority. “Yes it is true William (Ruto) has been given the go-ahead to return to office as his case is now over,” Kuttuny said.
Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo pleaded with the PM not to block Ruto’s return to the Cabinet for doing so will only make worse the vendetta between the two ODM giants.“Ruto is a well known hard working minister whose only exit from the Cabinet was due to that case already thrown out. Now that he has been cleared, Raila should not stop his return to office,” Kiema said.
But Kasipul Kabondo MP Oyugi Magwanga said that though Ruto was cleared by the court, there is a raging blame game between the AG's office and the police over the handling of the prosecution case.“He doesn’t look clean even with his so-called clearance. It is clear Kibaki has no powers to dictate terms to the ODM. His purported reinstatement of Ruto will not succeed,” Magwanga said.