Raila tours South Rift as Laboso defects to Ruto’s URP party

By Beauttah Omanga

Prime Minister Raila Odinga takes his campaign to South Rift Region today after defection of Sotik MP Joyce Laboso to Eldoret North MP William Ruto’s URP.

Raila is expected to preside over the official opening of a church at Siongiroi Town in Chepalungu Constituency, which neighbours Sotik.

The Premier enjoys support in the area after he supported plan for a district headquarters in the area. Raila is scheduled to hold a rally at Siongiroi centre after the church service before proceeding to Nyamira County tomorrow.

On Saturday, Ruto said he will be holding a rally in Dr Laboso’s constituency in the course of the week and she will attend.

“Ruto is a respected leader from my community and given that he will be meeting and talking to my electorate, I will be attending,” the Sotik MP had earlier said.

The rally was to be held on Saturday in Sotik town but sources said it was put off as Ruto was not available.

Asked then if she planned to join the Eldoret North MP’s URP party Laboso said: “Let’s leave that for now. I will respond to that another day.”

The Sotik MP who stepped into her late sister’s shoes after she died in a plane crash has remained a key supporter of Raila even when majority of Rift Valley MPs deserted him and followed Ruto.

Recently, Laboso, Roads Minister Franklin Bett, assistant ministers Beatrice Kones and Magerer Langat resigned from an ad hoc committee formed by the PM to oversee the Mau resettlement.

Resettlement

She told The Standard on Sunday that her decision to resign was informed by the plight of families evicted from the Mau complex who have been given false promises for two years as they camped in makeshift structures.

“My people’s interest come first and we are concerned with the manner in which the Government has handled the resettlement,” she said.

The MPs threatened to reconsider their association with ODM if the Mau evictees were not immediately resettled.

However, the PM acted swiftly and promised to resettle the families in a week. Sources said the resettlement was to commence on Saturday with some being moved to either Majani Mingi in Rongai Constituency and others to an identified area within Kericho County.

Laboso admitted that the Mau issue had become a major political tool and was being used against her by competitors.

She said it was the responsibility of the Government to ensure citizens lived in comfort.?If she defects to Ruto’s URP, then chances will be high that other pro-Raila MPs in South Rift might give in to pressure and decamp from ODM.

Speaking two months ago at URP rallies held in the region by Ruto, Laboso said she was ready to work with him for the interest of the Kalenjin community even though she then ruled out defection from ODM.

The other three pro-Raila MPs from South Rift are said to be under intense pressure to join URP if they wanted to be re-elected.

“There is a strong pro-Ruto wave in the entire Rift Valley and this is the time for our people to stand up and be counted. We are looking forward to being a united URP force in the near future,” said Belgut MP Charles Keter.

Keter and Dujis MP Aden Duale said URP is the party to watch and many more surprises were on the way.

Giving conditions

“We have been telling Kenyans across the parties that Ruto is a man to watch and URP is a party for the future. Many leaders will be joining URP soon,” said Duale.

Bett, now the senior and most influential member of the Kipsigis community in South Rift is being watched keenly with his supporters giving conditions for his continued stay in ODM. They want Raila to nominate the minister as his running mate.