Deputy President William Ruto is planning a mammoth political meeting of top leaders from the Rift Valley in a bid to secure his backyard.
Talk of an anti-Ruto campaign within Jubilee and the persistent threats by Kanu chairman Gideon Moi are said to have alarmed the DP to put his game plan into motion.
The meeting of the region’s (call it Kalenjin) who-is-who has been mooted as part of an elaborate political plan to neutralise the unpredictable younger Moi who has positioned himself as the counter-force to the DP.
Gideon, the Baringo senator, has been revamping his Kanu outfit in what is seen as preparation for an inaugural stab at the presidency in 2022, or position himself as the go-to ally for any alliance that will be ranged against Ruto.
Significantly, Gideon has been hobnobbing with the DP’s detractors, particularly Nasa leader Raila Odinga, after his March 9 handshake with President Uhuru Kenyatta. Two months ago he played host to Raila when he visited his father and former President, Daniela Moi, at Kabarak. A month later, Gideon paid a courtesy call on Mombasa governor and ODM Deputy Party leader Hassan Joho. After the meeting, Gideon said he was hand-in-glove with the handshake.
Raila and Uhuru’s newfound — and mysterious — partnership has rattled Ruto’s camp and disorganised many political plans.
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The DP could not be reached for comment yesterday but his spokesman David Mugonyi could neither confirm nor deny that the meeting was being planned. “I am not aware,” he said.
Ruto’s “unity” meeting planned for early August at Sugoi is set to bring together influential opinion leaders, current and former MPs, governors and their deputies, senators, speakers and MCAs in a calculated manoeuvre to demonstrate his grip on the region.
The Star has established that his lieutenants have already begun planning the logistics. Former Cabinet ministers Henry Kosgey and Franklin Bett, Kalenjin Council of Elders chairman John Seii, Uasin Gishu governor Jackson Mandago and Senate Majority leader Kipchumba Murkomen are said to have been identified to spearhead the convention.
Other key politicians playing key roles include Kericho senator Aaron Cheruiyot and his Nandi counterpart Samson Cherargei.
The meeting is expected to be the biggest political convention by Ruto since his election as Deputy President in 2013.
Yesterday Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny confirmed to the Star that Rift Valley leaders are concerned with the emerging and shifting political dynamics and would soon hold a bonding retreat to cement the region’s unity.
“A retreat has been planned soon. There are concerns that there are certain sentiments and body language among leaders that appear to be alienating the Rift Valley region,” Kutuny said.
He said there was panic among some political leaders from the DP’s backyard over reports of a scheme within Jubilee to block Ruto from succeeding President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2022.
“The panic exhibited by some leaders is alienating us from the system. Some MPs feel that we should not allow this to happen. Immediate attention is required so that we don’t appear to be fighting a losing battle,” the MP said.
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Former Kipkelion MP Franklin Bett said the region’s unity was at stake unless an all-inclusive meeting is convened to solidify the political bloc.
The former Cabinet minister who is considered among the region’s most level-headed figures, warned, however, against what he termed a petty meeting that would focus on trivialities.
“The biggest challenge facing the people of Rift Valley is lack of unity precipitated by the dislike of others on the basis of imaginary loyalty. The meeting must focus on solid issues that enhance the welfare of our people,” Bett told the Star.
He said any meeting planned should bring together the rank and file of all political affiliations without any preconditions and brinkmanship.
“The meeting that I will attend must not be about discussing people. There is a tendency by some guys to discuss others. That I will not attend. The meeting I will attend must be interested in everybody, without strings attached,” he said.
Sources said civil servants from the region including Cabinet secretaries, principal secretaries, CEOs and top government officials who are beneficiaries of the Ruto axis are expected to facilitate the crucial meeting.
The meeting takes place amid bickering and simmering tension within the ruling Jubilee alliance precipitated by the Uhuru-Raila pact. Claims have surfaced of a powerful clique of politicians and businessmen opposed to the DP said to be crafting an elaborate plan for his downfall.
It is alleged that they have set up a secretariat and regularly meet in Gigiri and Lavington areas to plan how to cut Ruto down to size. Those named in the speculation have denied any role but that has not diminished apprehension among the DP’s allies, who have continued to express alarm. They also claim the President’s body language has changed and he has been issuing unilateral policy directions without Ruto's knowledge.
The directives include the lifestyle audit as well as the order to freeze initiation of new projects before completing old ones.
Simultaneously, the President has drawn Raila closer, to the chagrin of Ruto’s camp, which is reading a sinister move. The secrecy of their handshake and the crackdown on corruption — which Ruto’s allies have been grousing about — have spurred talk of a conspiracy to block Ruto from succeeding Uhuru.
"We shall meet as a community and take a position on our conditions within Jubilee. There is obviously a scheme to frustrate the Deputy President," said a senior Rift Valley MP who declined to be named.
Last month Murkomen, the Elgeyo Marakwet senator, claimed that there was a clique within the Office of President working to curtail Ruto’s 2022 chances.
“There is a group of people at OP who works day and night to bring Ruto down. They are determined to bring discord between Uhuru and Ruto,”Murkomen said. “They run government operations and their target is Ruto. If these issues are not solved, then we may build walls in the future," he said.
The statement elicited angry reactions from some members of the party, forcing him to retract those words. But two weeks ago, Murkomen was at it again, with a sensational claim that the Mau Forest evictions were masterminded by people who had joined Jubilee through the backdoor, a snide reference to Raila.
The statement provoked a swift response from the party, which threatened disciplinary action against him for opposing official government policy. Insiders say statements by Murkomen, who is the chair of the Rift Valley caucus of MPs, often represents the thinking in the DP’s camp.
The Star understands that there have been more than 10 secret nocturnal meetings among leaders from the Rift Valley rattled by the covert manoeuvres targeting to clip Ruto’s wings. The meetings have largely been held at the Weston Hotel associated with the DP.
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