Ruto
faces dilemma as key allies in South Rift face off
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Updated 2 hrs 5 mins
ago
By
Beauttah Omanga
Presidential aspirant
William Ruto is in a quandary as he ponders over the best way to sustain his
political support in South Rift following a clash between MPs Julius Kones and
Isaac Rutto over United Republican Party affairs.
Ruto’s dilemma is how to
ensure the two MPs’ tiff does not end up splitting the support he enjoys in the
region. He is aware of the onslaught by his critics led by Roads Minister,
Franklin Bett, who says his party is not as promising as Raila Odinga’s ODM.
Bett recently crossed his community’s border
to the neighbouring Nyamira, where he told worshippers at Bosiango South SDA
Church that the Eldoret North MP has slim chances of winning the presidency
compared to Raila. “I can tell you the Kipsigis are solidly in ODM contrary to
Ruto’s posturing that the entire region is with him in URP. I am not ashamed to
bring it to your attention that Ruto is going nowhere and Raila will be the
next president,” said Bett.
He said infighting in Ruto’s camp was evidence enough that they
have no order in running a serious campaign. During the Nyamira tour, Bett won
support from local ODM delegates led by Charles Sagwe and councillor Stanley
Charana in his bid to be Raila’s running mate.
In the URP Bomet supremacy wars pitting Isaac Rutto against Dr
Kones, the row widened with the Chepalungu MP’s move to open a URP office in
Konoin constituency.
The two MPs have vowed not to stop at anything in their bid to be
URP candidates for the governor’s seat. The move worries Ruto that the
infighting could undermine his support. Initially, Ruto had to deal with the
discomfort by the Kipsigis community, who seemed restless that they were
politically being taken for granted by their North Rift kin.
The two MPs, as they moot their strategies to fight it out for the
governor’s seat, are engaging in mudsling against each other.
Playing hardball
“He should have known that I am not his equal. I play
hardball. It’s either he joins me or he waits for a humiliating defeat,” said
Rutto. He says Kones should join his camp.
But an adamant Kones has laughed off Rutto’s invitation, saying it
was such posturing that would deny him a chance to be elected governor of
Bomet. “Bomet people are very peaceful and want leaders they can bank on. Such
arrogance by Isaac is not going to translate into votes,” said Kones.
He says it’s in bad faith and a sign of disrespect of the
Chepalungu MP to go opening party offices in other MPs’ constituencies.
“Why does he think he is superior to others? It is in bad faith
for an MP to open party offices in another’s constituency without the knowledge
of the MP. Since he has started the war, we will fight him to the bitter end,”
vowed Kones.
The Konoin MP said Rutto’s actions depicted
him as an autocratic leader, who disregards other leaders. “After realising he
is losing ground, he is now clinging on to having an elaborate network for
rigging party nominations,” he added.
But the Chepalungu MP says he has no regrets in opening up URP
offices in Kones’ Konoin constituency, daring him to try the same in
Chepalungu. “Politics is not a straight line. Kones and me are in competition
for the governor’s seat. I have my own way of campaigning. He should also come
up with his,” said Rutto, who is backing someone else for the Konoin
parliamentary seat.
Rutto went on: “I have a strong camp already and we have agreed on
how to share county seats. Since he is set to take me on for governor, there is
nothing wrong in campaigning for somebody else to succeed him as MP”.
With Bett leading the Prime Minister’s
onslaught against Ruto’s influence, and with the intensifying infighting, the
South Rift remains attractive politically.
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