RAILA RUBUILDS IN RIFT

The Star
Friday, January 28, 2011

Holds secret meeting with Kosgey

BY STAR TEAM

PRIME Minister Rails Odinga moved yesterday to rebuild his crumbling support in the populous Rift Valley which voted almost unanimously for him the December 27, 2007 disputed presidential election.

The PM met the ODM chairman Henry Kosgey yesterday morning at his BP Shell House in Nairobi office to discuss, among other things, preparations for Kosgey's defence in the two cases facing him.

The suspended Industrialisation minister faces charges of fraud for authorising the import of overage cars, as well as being one of the Ocampo Six.

Kosgey was accompanied to yesterday's meeting by nominated MP Musa
Sirma, Eldoret politician Jackson Kibor and a number of elders.

Raila has apparently also received assurances from Agriculture minister Sally Kosgei and Roads minister, Franklin Bett that they will not ditch him for William Ruto, the suspended Higher Education minister who has become the top powerbroker in the Rift Valley.

Bett is unhappy since he was heckled at President Kibaki's rally in Eldoret last Friday and has accused MPs allied to Ruto of political immaturity

"I had a very good meeting with Kosgey and he has reaffirmed his commitment to ODM," the PM told the Star yesterday.

"We discussed a number of issues especially party elections which are due next month. Before today's (Thursday's) meeting I had met Kosgey several times in the gym and other places. I have no doubt in mind that he is with me," said Raila.

It was the first time Kosgey and Raila were meeting since William Ruto announced at Eldoret rally last Friday that all Kalenjin MPs were now united.
Kosgey was present at the rally and told the crowd that "the signs of rain are clouds". When pressed by the crowd, the ODM chairman said his colleague Sally Kosgey will explain everything.

At the rally Raila was accused of having done nothing to defend Kosgey in his two court cases. Yesterday Kosgey was not answering calls to his mobile phone.

Raila also played down Sally Kosgey's resignation as the deputy leader of Government Business in Parliament saying people were reading too much into it.

"She requested me to relieve her of those duties so that she can concentrate on her docket. She has not left ODM as reported," said Raila.
Sally is currently out of Kenya on official business but last week she told the Nation in an interview that she was "not in the business on committing political suicide".

Nominated MP Musa Sirma, a Raila ally who also attended the Eldoret meeting presided over by Kibaki last week, denied that he had ditched the Prime Minister for Ruto.

"I was duped that the meeting was about peace, only for people to use it to perpetuate their agenda. Ruto had even promised me that I will be given a chance to speak but that never happened. I walked out even before the President spoke and drove away," he said. "We regret that we were there when actually it was a political meeting for KKK," Sirma said.

Sirma also dismissed as rumours that Kosgey will be quitting ODM. "What you hear out there are rumours by smart propagandists. What is factual is that Kosgey is the ODM chairman and will remain so," Sirma said.

Raila's allies led by Jackson Kibor and Said Keittany have been working behind the scenes to rebuild Raila's support in the Rift Valley.

They have planned a series of meetings to persuade the electorate not to ditch the ODM as many MPs from the region have done.

The meetings are expected to culminate in a series of rallies to be addressed by Raila as the ODM holds its grassroots elections in March.

The Kalenjin Youth Leaders Forum have also been holding meetings to mobilise support for the party elections which are expected to be boycotted by most of the ODM MPs from Rift Valley.

Yesterday Ruto ally Koinoin MP Julius Kones cautioned Kosgey against remaining in Raila's camp. "I caution him not to hang on in Raila's camp because if he does his political future is doomed," said Kones.

Yesterday political analysts said it would be a big sigh of relief if Kosgey and Sally remain with Raila who seems to have lost out to the new Kalenjin supremo William Ruto.

Ruto campaigned for Raila in the 2007 election but has since then declared that he will go for the Presidency himself although his allies want him to form an alliance with Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka.

The Eldoret Noth MP has also been addressing rallies in the company of Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa and their campaign issue has been generational change which Raila has dismissed as misguided.