Fireworks expected during Ainamoi and Kilgoris by-elections – Tension hightens between the Kipsigis and Maasai
Posted by African Press International on May 14, 2008
Publisher, Korir, africanpress@getmail.no
Story filed by Leo Odera Omolo, Kericho -KenyaThe date 24th of May is the D for the residents of both Ainamoi and Kilgoris constituencies both located in the seemingly volatile south rift region of the expansive Rift Valley Province.
It is slated to be a nomination day for those wishing to contest the elections in the two vacant parliamentary seats .Almost every aspirant here is in the mood for the elections.
Ainamoi seat in Kericho district fell vacant following the slaying of the former incumbent, the late David Kimutai Too in January this year only weeks after being sworn in. The late legislator and a woman companion were sprayed with bullets by an assassin who is alleged to be a police traffic officer. His companion was also a traffic police officer who hails from his rural village at Chepkoiyo at Soin in Ainamoi Division.
The seat is said to have attracted close to 26 aspirants. But by yesterday only about four would be contestants had presented their nomination papers to the ODM headquarters in Nairobi.They include the former Deputy CGS.Lt. General {rtd} John K.Koech, the former Minister for Water Development, Eng. Kipngeno Arap Ngeny who served in the last KANU regime, another former MP for the larger Belgut Kiptarus Kirior and Nairobi based businessman David C. Kitur. Also in the race is a Mombasa based tea auctioneer Ezekiel Ngeny.
The ODM is the party of the day in the area, therefore more aspirants could be on their way to present their nomination papers as there is still plenty of time. It could not, however, be assessed immediately if the recent outbursts by a group ofKipsigis MPs against, the Prime Minister Raila ODINGA over his recent choices of cabinet members in the grand coalition government had impacted negatively among the electorate in Ainamoi, but observers were quick in predicting a landslide victory for the party provided it carried its nominations in a transparent manner, which will be devoid of complaints and protests.
Also said to be in the race is the former Kericho Mayor Joel Siele, a Moi University senior lecturer, DR.Paul Chepkwony, the younger brother of the slain MP Benjamin Too, a Nairobi businessman Paul Chirchir and the immediate former MP for the area Noah Nondin Arap Too.
Two men are to be watched as one of them is expected to carry the day. These are Gen. Koech and Mr. David Kitur. Both men are said to have very attractive track record of development within the semi-cosmopolitan constituency, which also covered Kericho Municipality and the vast tea estates and factories in the neighbourhood
Gen Koech hails from the upper part of the constituency, while Mr.Kitur is from the Kaitui area in Soin, but he is said to have changed his residency from the area to South Nandi. The location of his residency could impact negatively with the voters.
Gen Koech contested the seat in last December, but lost during the ODM preliminaries, which were highly flawed, but he later joined hand and vigorously campaigned for the late Too and Raila Odinga in the entire Kipsigis region resulting in the ODM clinching all the eight seats. There is a strong feeling on the ground that he should be rewarded with a direct nomination by the Pentagon due to his unswerving loyalty and consistency to the party.
An attempt to market Benjamin Too, the younger brother of the murdered MP had hit the rock owing to the Kipsigis tradition belief that there is no political inheritance within the community, therefore all the aspirants are required to account for their past records of active participation in development activities. Some of the issues which are likely to feature prominently during the campaign include the lack of a tea leaves processing factory in the Kapcheptororiet and Kapsaus areas. Poor feeder and access roads, water and electricity supplies, improvement of schools and other institutions.
Meanwhile the by-election in Kilgoris constituency is likely to fuel more tribal animosities between the Maasai an the settler communities. Already two sets of delegation visited the office of the Electoral Commission of Kenya {ECK} yesterday and pressed their demands.
The first delegation was led by the MP for Chepalungu Isaack Ruto and consisted of Mr. Jonathan Kipyegon Ng;eno, the man who is widely believed to have won the Kilgoris seat last December, but the election was immediatelyt nullified following outbreak of violence when armed Maasai Morans invaded the counting hall during the tallying of the votes, beat up election officials, cut the election boxes into pieces. Two people were shot dead during thechaosthat followed. This led to the result being nullified by the ECK. The Maasai leaders had sensed the inevitable defeat by Mr. Ngeno a Kipsigis tribesman. At the time, the provisional result showed that Ngeno was leading with a big margin of 6,000 votes..
Suspicion have been rife between the Maasai who consider themselves as the native and indigenous residents and the Kipsigis settlers.The two communities and their leaders have been jittery, especially over political representations. Although the Kipsigis moved and settled in Kilgoris around 1960 and 1970s, they are the majority in terms of voters numerical strength
Out of the 73, 310 registered voters in Kilgoris, the Kipsigis forms about 58 per cent. But the Maasai delegation that visited the ECK offices, and which was led by the former Internal Security Minister Julius Sunkuli did no mince its words, It informed the ECK not to allow a non-Maasai to be nominated once again to contest the seat, while the Kipsigis delegation merely asked for the improved security during the campaign.
In the last election Mr.Ngeno had thrown his hat on the table against two Maasai heavyweight politicians who included the former Immigration minister Gideon Konchellah and former Internal Security Minister Julius Sunkuili who served in the last KANU regime. Ngeno contested the election on a KADDU ticket and appeared to have tamed the two former ministers and a troops of other contestants. Other aspirants were Peter Ole Salapan of ODM, Kipra Ibrahim {CCM}, Simon Maer{ODM-K} John Naiguru{Narc-K}, Emmnanuel Tusur{kenda}, DanielKiptune{NDA}, Tinai Kantai{UDM}, Francis Ngeno{DP] AND Kipteng Lesame of KCPCK.
Two former Minister were Julius Sunkuli {KANU}and Gideon Konchellah {PNU}
For many years the Maasai leaders have not hidden their uneasiness with the settler communities consisting of Kalenjin and theKisiis in a matter of political supremacy and have always ensured that the area remained their preserve, a myth that was tested in the last general election.
The seemingly well rooted enemities came as the result of decades of competition for the control of political and by extension economic activities in this vast district , which is ensconced between Bomet to the east, Sotik to the northeast, Borabu to the north, Gucha to the northwest, Rongo to the west, Migori to the south west, Kuria to the south west and Narok to the south east.
,
The nullification of the election result came about when the Maasai leaders who had gathered at the county hall in Kilgoris town had realized that MR. Ngeno a Kipsigis was winning, they summoned the Morans who invaded the hall where the tallying of the votes was in progress. The rungus wielding Morans beat up everybody and cut the election boxes into pieces. This prompted the men of the GSU to open fire and two men were killed. thereafter.
Observers have informed me that there is no way the minority Maasai could win the election in Kilgoris. For many years and during his twenty four years at the help of power, the retired President Daniel Arap Moi had always prevailed among his fellow Kalenjin not to compete with the indiginant Maasai on elective positions, but now that Moi is no longer in control, the Kipsigis have vowed to capture the seat using their voting numerity strength.
Ends
————————-
African Press International – api
