Plan to impeach William Ruto ‘political witch-hunt’

Updated Tuesday, July 2nd 2013 at 22:26 GMT +3

By Titus Too

Eldoret, Kenya: North Rift legislators have described plans by Coalition for Reforms and Democracy ( CORD) to impeach Deputy President William Ruto as “political witch-hunt”.

But they dared CORD to go ahead with their impeachment attempts, saying it was bound to fail because of Jubilee numbers in Parliament.

Five MPs, Cornelly Serem (Aldai), Kirwa Stephen Bitok (Mosop), Elisha Busienei (Turbo), Elijah Lagat (Chesumei) and Silas Tiren (Moiben) said they would fight the impeachment motion if brought to the House.

“If the attempt to impeach the Deputy President byCORD is brought to the House, it will not sail through,” said Serem.

He said there were more pertinent issues facing the country and that CORD “should not increase political temperatures unnecessarily”.

“ CORD should help build this nation by addressing useful issues instead of engaging in witch-hunt. It seems CORD has not accepted they lost the last General Election,” said Serem.

He added: “When Kenyans voted in March, they knew the same land case was before court, they would have voted out Jubilee.”

Still desperate

Busienei, in whose Turbo constituency the 100-acre land is located, said that as MPs from the Rift Valley, they would give the way forward on the issue.

“ CORD is still desperate after losing in the last General Election and are trying to make themselves relevant through underhand schemes,” claimed Serem.

The legislator added that Ruto was a third party and that in case of any issue, those who sold the land to him should be pursued. “If you take a loan and buy some piece of land, then thereafter a controversy erupts, who should be blamed? It is the sellers of course,” said Busienei.

Lagat claimed that CORD was scared of Ruto’s political rise and were trying hard to clip his progress.

“ CORD are headed nowhere with their latest plans because they will not achieve the two thirds majority in Parliament,” said Lagat. Bitok said the land issue should not be used as a scapegoat to politically fight Ruto.