The massive rigging of Ainamoi ODM by-elections spells doom for Raila Odinga’s future relationship with the Kipsigis people
Posted by African Press International on May 26, 2008
Publisher: Korir, africanpress@getmail.no
News Analysis by Leo Odera Omolo
The weekend preliminary nomination for the ODM torch-bearer in Ainamoi constituency, Kericho district ended in total confusion, massive rigging and the worst election scam.
Ballot boxes from various polling centres in the interior part of this agriculturally rich semi cosmopolitan were stuffed with thousands of unstamped ballot papers in favour of one aspirant Mr. Benjamin Langat who is the younger brother of the former MP for the area the late David Too.
The massive rigging was deliberate and it gave Mr. Langat undeserved victory. .The victory has since sparked off near-violence reaction from the supporters of of the preliminary losers who immediately lodged strong protest with the party headquarters in Nairobi.
One of the aspirants, the retired former Deputy chief of the general Staff, Lt. Gen John Koech immediately petitioned the party leader Raila Amolo Odinga, the Prime Minister requesting for a repeat of the exercise before Mr. Langat was issued with the nomination certificate, but impeccable sources had it that Agwambo had succumbed to the demand for a repeat of the exercise, but was ruled out by the party National Chairman who is the Minister for industrialisation Henry Kosgei, who had the backing of the Minister for Agriculture William Ruto.
The ODM preliminaries were held last Saturday simultaneously in four constituencies, namely Ainamoi, Kilgoris, Embakassi and Emuhaya. Ruto the MP for Eldoret North and a member of the ODM Pentagon had good reason to rejoice in that his preferred candidate had won the preliminary nomination. As earlier predicted by this correspondent, the majority of Kipsigis MPs steered clear of the by-election, though they secretly supported Rutos man against Gen. Koech, who they had all along been suspecting to be a Railas man in the area.
Langat came first and pulled 11,325 votes against the runner-up Gen Koechs 8,178 votes, while another popular candidate David Cheruiyot Kirui garnered slightly over 5,000.
Local political pundits maintained that the preliminary exercise in Ainamoi was a trash and once again highly flawed..
It came in the backdrop of massive discontent, said to be on the increase day by day against Raila Odinga and the ODM in the South Rift with a section of the partys MPs accusing the Prime Minister of side-lining them in the recent cabinet and other key government appointments despite of their overwhelming support.
The disillusionment by the Kipsigis MPs had played a big role in the last week alleged boycott of the partys National Executive Council{NEC} and parliamentary group meeting, which was held last Friday at the posh Safari Park Hotel, where according to newspaper reports Raila arrived to find that only less than 40 MPs had turned up for the crucial meeting. It was the first of its kind ever held since the ODM joined the grand coalition government.
The ODM parliamentary strength at the moment stands at 96 ,which meant that more than half of the party parliamentary caucus had stayed away. And could be said to have walked out of the PMs meeting in protest against a number of unresolved, but very contentious issues facing the ODM as a party and its leader Raila Odinga as an individual.
An MP who attended the meeting confided to this writer that the unresolved issues include the Cabinet’s recent rejection of blanket amnesty for the perpetrators of the post election violence, Railas vehement opposition to the backbenchers proposal for the establishment of the grand opposition in parliament to keep the government on its toes and the boiling secret war of nerves between Raila and Ruto over the control of the Rift Valley.
The majority of the 33 Kalenjin MPs did not attend this crucial meeting and instead they sent only two of their colleagues, namely Ms Lorna Laboso {Sotik} and Isaac Ruto{Chepalungu} to represent their interests.
Ruto later confirmed that the boycott, saying that his colleagues, particularly those from the South Rift had boycotted the meeting because they were dissatisfied on how the grand coalition cabinet was named.
They absconded the meeting due to some weighty issues which
are yet to be solved by the party leaders, said Ruto who had represented his colleagues at the meeting.
He added, We are still negotiating and there are a number of weighty issues which need to be addressed and that is the reason why most of my colleagues skipped the meeting
The Rift Valley MPs have openly differed with ODM leadership on various issues among them the creation of the grand opposition and amnesty. For people involved in post election violence, though the Prime Minister himself has come out boldly supporting his colleagues from the rift valley in their demands that the youths currently detained in violence related offences be released unconditionally from police custody
A section of the Rift Valley MPs recently gave Raila Odinga a stern warning to stop undermining William Rutos presidential ambition in the year 2012. The MPs were addressing a homecoming ceremony to welcome the MP for Rongai Luka Kigen. They claimed that there was a secret war meant to finish Ruto and render him useless come the year2012.
The legislators who made these remarks include Moses lesonet {Eldama Ravive} Sammy Mwaita {Baringo Cntral } and Lukas Kigen himself. They alleged the year 2012 presidential election battle has already began with Ruto tipped as the Kalenjin political kingpin and suspicion have already been read from all corners that Raila is believed to have a huge interest in giving another stab at the presidency in the next poll.
Also present at the Rongai meeting were Baringo North MP William Chepkutuny and Naivasha PNU MP John Mututho, but the two remained uncommitted to the succession issue and steered clear of the debate.
But in an exclusive interview published by the Rift Valley OBSERVER ATR THE WEEKEND, A former Kipkellion MP Dr. Sammy Ruto scathingly criticized Raila Odinga for recklessly referring to William Ruto in a recent public address sas being a Kipsigis tribes man. The former MP alleged that members of the Kipsigis coimmunity were irked by the remarks made by Raila during his peace and reconciliation mission in the rift Valley Province..
Dr Ruto said that after a thorough consultation with the community elders and leaders they all read malice in Railas remarks, which they said were deliberate because the prime minister knew Ruto is representing a predominately Nandis constituency. The remarks, Dr. Ruto said had sinister motive in a grand scheme and well hatched plan of sowing the seeds of discord among the Kalenjin sub-tribes.
During a recent tour of Rift Valley Provbince in the company of president Mwai Kibaki, Raila Odinga made the offending remark at two public venues. First at chebilat along the Sotik-Borabu borders, which is separating the Kipsigis and the Kisii communities.
It was an attempt by Raila Odinga to mollify politicians from the region who have been grumbling over ministerial appointments, when he stated that he did not expect any complaint from the Kipsigis community because Mr. Ruto is one of their own sons whose parents had migrated to Nandi from Belgut.
Although the prime minister is putting up a brave face against the onslaught from within his own party backyard, insiders say, Raila is the most worried man on how to keep his troop pulling together on one direction.
Political observers and the pundits who are privy to Raila brand of politics says that Agwambo is a man made of crisis and that he would weather the storm and keep his MP together under one roof in preparation for the next general election battle.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com .
——————–
API
