Uhuru blames Orengo for failure to resettle Mau evictees

Written By:Judith Akolo,    Posted: Sat, Apr 02, 2011

Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto were in Bomet on Saturday for a prayer meeting while galvanizing support as they prepare to face The Hague next week.

The two were accompanied by a retinue of leaders including cabinet ministers Naomi Shaban, Najib Balala, Hellen Sambili and Samuel Poghisio, assistant ministers Beatrice Kones, Mwangi Kiunjuri and Jebii Kilimo and a legion of MPs.

Earlier Ruto's convoy that included cabinet ministers Balala and Sambili was held up for over an hour as university students demonstrated at Narok town and destroyed the dais they were expected to use to address the wananchi at the town.

The students were reportedly protesting against the proposed resettlement of Internally Displaced People at a farm in Narok.

Addressing the crowd at Bomet, Naivasha MP John Mututho said Kenyatta and Ruto were facing trumped up charges  as no proper investigations were conducted in the country by the ICC Prosecutor.

"Justice Philip Waki just went around the country collecting views, he did not conduct investigations, while Ocampo merely followed what Waki had written without conducting any investigation," said Mututho.

Ainamoi MP Benjamin Langat said Ruto was carrying Prime Minister Raila Odinga's cross and warned that a time of reckoning was coming when everyone would account for their role in the post election violence.

"This is our country and we shall stand for the truth," said Belgut MP Charles Keter.

Uhuru took a swipe at Lands Minister James Orengo for not telling the truth over the resettlement of the Mau Forest evictees.

Uhuru said already Ksh 1.8 billion has been set aside to buy a piece of land to resettle the evictees and it was up to the Lands Minister to find a piece of land to resettle them.

Uhuru said the Lands Ministry took the decision to buy the controversial land in Mau Narok to resettle the Internally Displaced Persons - IDPs and asked Orengo to find a solution now that the community around the area where the land is located have refused to allow the resettlement process.

Uhuru questioned the legitimacy of the decision by the International Criminal Court Prosecutor Louis Moreno-Ocampo to zero in on Eldoret North MP William Ruto when he was not the Leader of the Orange Democratic Party - ODM.

"We are going to the Hague next week and we are sure to come back," said Uhuru in Bomet.

Dujis MP Aden Dualle called on Ruto and Minister for Tourism Najib Balala to apologize to the Kalenjin and the Muslim communities for asking them to join ODM which has turned against them.