Ruto plays victim in Rift Valley campaign

Former Higher Educating Minister William Ruto is welcomed by residents of Kamwosor in Keiyo South District on October 22, 2010. Photo/JARED NYATAYA

By JONATHAN KOMEN, BARNABAS BII AND WYCLIFF KIPSANG newsdesk@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Saturday, October 23 2010 at 22:07

The MP for Eldoret North William Ruto has moved to consolidate his support in the Rift Valley with an aggressive grassroots campaign designed to paint himself as a victim of a conspiracy to clip his presidential ambitions.

In a series of meetings in the last three days, the MP told supporters that Kalenjins were unhappy with the move to suspend him from the Cabinet and said the political leadership from the Kalenjin was considering forming another party before the 2012 elections.

“We boarded someone’s political vehicle last time, and it abandoned us mid-sea. We will have ours this time round and, for your information, I am almost done with the preparations. Stay tuned as soon we will have a bridge,” Mr Ruto said in his mother tongue at the launch of the Keiyo South Constituency Development Fund strategic plan at Chepkorio Showground last Friday.

“We knew our destiny right at the referendum. A clever man kills three birds with one stone and I believe people realised this,” Mr Ruto added. The suspended Higher Education minister said he was innocent of the allegations of corruption levelled against him.

Nail me

“My hands are clean. They began with the maize scandal and they failed to nail me,” he said, adding that he had done nothing wrong. He implied that he and his allies were hounded out of office.

“How many people have cases in courts, including the government itself? What was wrong with Jackson Kiptanui and Charles Keter that they were sacked?” he asked. Some analysts say Mr Ruto is taking a high risk by playing the victim. They say he may consolidate Kalenjin support but lose national support.

“He has not been taken to court on behalf of the Kalenjin community. This is an individual issue and it should be handled at that level,” said Kipkorir arap Menjo, an Eldoret-based Nark-Kenya official.

But other politicians interviewed supported Mr Ruto’s stance and called for the judiciary to expedite his case so that he takes back his Cabinet position.

Keiyo South MP Jackson Kiptanui said the suspension had nothing to do with corruption. “They sacked my colleague (Charles) Keter after the referendum and descended on me next, with no valid reason. And, recently, they unleashed their wrath on Mr Ruto,” he said.

He wondered why Mr Ruto’s case was not aggressively pursued in the run-up to the 2007 election. Mr Kiptanui said they knew Mr Ruto had influence on the Kalenjin vote.

The big job

He said the courts should conclude Mr Ruto’s case “to ease our way to the big job in 2012”. Dr Joseph Magut, a political scientist at Kenyatta University, said Mr Ruto will surmount the challenge before him.

“With the benefit of hindsight, one thing for sure is that Mr Ruto epitomises the legendary cat of nine lives. He has the stuff it takes to surmount crisis after crisis and survive the rough and tumble that is Kenyan politics. Hard-nosed, gutsy and hard-boiled, Ruto may turn this tragedy in his political career into a political boon if the court acquits him,” Dr Magut said.

Unlike Dr Wilfred Machage, an assistant minister who was suspended over allegations of incitement during the referendum campaigns and opted to mend fences with Mr Odinga, Mr Ruto may use this opportunity to mount a political onslaught on the Prime Minister.

In all his speeches, he has blamed his suspension squarely on Mr Odinga, despite the fact that the decision was announced as a joint move by President Kibaki and the PM. There have been reports Mr Ruto, who is an ODM deputy leader, may resign from the party leadership as he prepares to launch his own political party.

His dalliance with the United Democratic Movement (UDM) is a pointer to his probable stop should he bolt out of ODM. Dr Magut says Mr Ruto’s tribulations are unlikely to bolster the political fortunes of Mr Odinga in Rift Valley and could hurt his popularity because the people believe he is the chief architect of Mr Ruto’s downfall.

“Similarly, Raila’s allies such as Henry Kosgey and Sally Kosgei may not gain from the unfolding dynamics because any anti-Ruto sentiments may come with political backlash,” the don said. Kalenjin Council of Elders chairman Major (Rtd) John Seii termed the suspension untimely saying Ruto was a sacrificial lamb in the Sh272 million fraud case.

“The suspension was least expected. Justice should be seen to be done by taking legal action against all those implicated in corruption,” Maj Seii said. Baringo Kanu youth leader Nicholas Koros accused Mr Odinga of abandoning Rift Valley residents despite their overwhelming support during the 2007 General Election.

A threat

“He sees Ruto as a threat to his 2012 political ambitions and he has now resorted to using the courts to finish him politically. But we will not be cowed by that as we will cast our votes for Ruto even if he’s behind bars,” Mr Koros said. Some say a quick conclusion of the case will help Mr Ruto.

“The matter is not a unique case. Former and current ministers have been suspended and reinstated after they were found innocent,” said Keiyo North MP Lucas Chepkittony.

But Nominated MP Musa Sirma termed the suspension a blow to the presidential ambitions of Mr Ruto adding that the case may drag on and on. “As a community we shall remain united and champion our democratic rights,” said Mr Sirma.