Kipsiele Arap Sugurut
LUOCOME
KERICHO 
9th January 2007
 
Noah Arap Too, the "Congestina of Kericho" 

UNDER PRESSURE, AINAMOI MP IS ACCUSED FOR ASSAULTING HIS RIVAL IN A BAR   
   

Under pressure of losing his Ainamoi Parliamentary seat to one of the dozens or so of new aspirants, the incumbent MP Noah N. Arap Too is alleged to have resorted to a new dangerous tactics of engaging his opponents in physical
combat.   

He is alleged to have pounced on one of his archrival with hooks and uppercuts
when the two bumped into each other in a popular public joint within the
constituency.  The incident, according to impeccable source in Kericho Town took place at Kabaruso Bar at Kapsoit Trading Centre, which is located about 10km west of Kericho Town on the main Kericho-Kisumu road.   

Unconfirmed report says the MP, using his experience in police combat skills,
hit one of his opponents Mr. Paul Chirchir so hard, almost twisting his neck,
before other revelers intervened and separated the two combatants.  It was
briefly like a heavy weight boxing championship bout.   

This writer met Mr. Chirchir, a Nairobi based businessman who displayed his
swollen neck.  Chirchir, however declined to confirm or deny that he had made a report of the assault to Kericho Police.   

Relationship between the two is said to have gone sour, though the two are
immediate neighbours at the MPs rural home at Kenegut, in Soin Divison, Kericho District.   

The legislator has recently come under severe criticism for his poor political
leadership in one of the agriculturally rich rural farming constituencies in
Kericho District.  Mr. Chirchir later scathingly criticized the MP for engaging
in tout like behaviour, despite his advanced age.   

"I could have responded with my heavy punches and floor him, but since he is my elder, I restrained myself because of my respect for older people.  In Kipsigis culture and tradition, a Moran can only engage someone of his age group in physical combat, but not an elderly person of the MP's age.  This is forbidden," said Mr. Chirchir.   

Mr. Chirchir blames the Ainamoi MP for the dwindling academic standard and
severely criticizes the legislator for having run down Kenegut Secondary School, which is only a stone throw from his (MP's rural home).   

The school, he said came last in poor performance in KCSE exam last year and yet different leading Kenyan personalities have conducted Harambee fund raising for the school ever since the year 2003 when Hon. Noah Arap Too became the patron of the school.  All the eight Harambee meetings raised Kshs. 2 million each bringing the total close to Kshs. 16 million.   

One was conducted by Mr. Galgalo, the other one by Lt. Gen. (rtd.) John Koech, Mr. Stephen Kosittany, Hon. Nicholas K. Biwott, Hon. Henry Kosgei, Mr. Mark Too and Eng. Kipng'eno Arap Too.  All these leaders had conducted very successful Harambe fund drives at Kenegut School, but so far, nothing is on the ground to show how the money was utilized.  The school is in bad shape.  The structure on the ground cannot match the millions of shillings that have been raised for the school.   

Meanwhile, a new entrant into Ainamoi parliamentary contest is Mr. Simon
Kimutai, the Nairobi based Secretary General of the Matatu Owners Association. Insiders say the retired former deputy C.G.S. of the combined Armed Forces of Kenya Lt. Gen. (rtd.) John Koech s still leading the pack of close to twenty aspirants.   

Former minister for Water Development Eng. Kipngeno Arap Ng'eny is also said to be eyeing his old seat.  Ng'eny's popularity is said to be on the upswing.  The electorate want him to go back to parliament so that he could complete all the economic projects he had initiated in the area between 1997 and 2002.   

The incumbent Noah Arap Too is being discredited for having not initiated not
even one single project to his credit.   

The former CID director is said to have engaged in politics of violence and for
having introduced the culture of police mentality in the local politics.  He
once warned this writer of dire consequences if he continued writing rubbish and portraying his political leadership negatively in the press.   

Contacted shortly after Christmas to confirm or deny the report that he had
physically manhandled Mr. Chirchir, the MP quipped."  Ngetai abarin (loosely
translated that you uncircumcised man, I will kill you,").  The MP who sounded
tipsy hanged his phone. But the next morning at 6am, he called the reporter over his mobile and warned him to stop reporting negatively about Ainamoi.   

Other aspirants included a former Kericho Mayor Mr. Siele, the branch executive secretary of KNUt in Kericho Mr. Ken Mutai, the headteacher at Boito Secondary School Mr. David Too.   

Rumoured to be keenly watching the situation in Dr. Davy Koech the Executive
Director of KEMRI who is credited for having invested heavily in business
enterprises in Kericho town which included the posh Tea Hotel in which he is the majority shareholder.   

But the scientist has yet to make his intentions public.   

Also seen to be in the race is Mrs. Anne Kibet who is an employee of the
Uniliver Tea Company.   

Another former MP Mr. Kiptarus Kirior has also declared his interest in the
same.  He represented the old larger Belgut twice, before loosing to Eng.
Kipngeno Arap Ngeny in the then newly crated Ainamoi Constituency in 1997.   

The Ainamoi MP is said to have changed his character drastically from his former polite policeman to a temperamental, combative and quarrelsome on the slightest provocation.   

Many revelers have of lately abandon the famous Kabaruso Bar in Kapsoit Market which is frequented by the Ainamoi MP and his political goons who usually accompany him to the popular public joint ever since the incident of assault on Mr. Chirchir in December.   

The number of aspirants eyeing the Ainamoi seat is said to have risen steadily
in the last few months to 25.  Also among them is Dr. Chepkwony of Moi
University, Eldoret and many others.   

For Hon. Noah Arap Too to retain his seat, he will have to change his campaign tactics and overhaul his campaign strategies.     He is also being accused of poor disbursement of CDF, HIV/Aids Control and School Bursary Fund, preferring his close relatives and friends to sit in the respective committees.  During the incident of alleged assault on Mr. Chirchir, the two men exchanged bitter words when the legislator inquired to know the reason why the aspirant was undermining his leadership in Ainamoi.  But before Mr. Chirchir could answer, the MP is reported to have landed one heavy blow on his neck, sending him sprawling on the ground.     

Other revelers took to their heels, scampering for safety.  The incident shocked
many residents of Ainamoi in general and Kericho town in particular and has
since become the talk of the town.  Since the incident, the MP is now nicknamed by the locals as "Conjestina of Kericho."