Kisumu
  17/09/07
 
MOI IS WARNED OVER KERICHO TEA FARMS AS ABUSIVE GEMA TEXT MESSAGE AGAINST LUOS AND KALENJINS IS CIRCULATED VIA CELLPHONES

By Leo Odera Omolo

The retired President Daniel Arap Moi recent declaration of support for President Mwai Kibaki?s re-election and his concerted efforts in urging members of his Kalenjin community to rally behind President Mwai Kibaki bid for the second five year term has elicited sharp reactions.

Moi, who visited Bureti and attended the funeral of one Matayo Arap Morisin at Roret in lower Bureti had urged the Kalenjin to remain stead fast in KANU as this was their popular political vehicle.

His remarks raised hundred of question marks. The Kalenjin, particularly the Kipsigis sub ? tribe which is the most populous sub ? tribe of the larger Kalenjin ethnic group had a born to chew with the retired President.

As this was not enough and in what many sees as a slap in the face of the retired president Daniel Arap Moi a tentative text message by unknown people suspected to be from the Gema community of the Mt.Kenya region was full of insult.

It says ?In part brothers and sisters from Central and Meru we appeal to you to make general contribution towards the re-election of President Kibaki?

We cannot allow leadership that we fought for many years to slip from us. It is even worse to lose it to the backward and uncircumcised person after having cattle raiders rule for 24 years .Come out in defense of the Mumbi crown thank you!? the text concludes

Moi?s reign of power which lasted for 24 years had impoverished the community and left them poorer than ever before. Instead of empowering the community economically. Moi had connived and worked in cohort with their cousins from the north, mainly Keiyo?s and Tugens and grabbed several tea plantations and factories in Kericho and Bureti districts.

The grabbed Tea Estates and factories which were previously owned by foreign multinational tea companies include Kipkebe and Sotik Highland Tea Estates and factories. The Moi family is now majority shareholders with Messers Merali?s Kakuzi Ltd and other local entrepreneurs.

Moi personally grabbed Kaisugu Tea estate and factory which is now owned exclusively by the Moi family. The retired President also assisted his then favourite roving Ambassador Mr. Mark Kiptarbei Arap Too to grab the former Mau Tea estate and factory.

Moi later dismantled the Mau Forest tea factory, moved its tea processing machineries which were later reinstalled at his Kapgatich Tea Factory in Olenguruone with the help of some Kericho based Asian firm of engineers.

Mr. Mark Too later renamed the estate Mau Forest Tea estate and resold the 960 acres estate to a group of 43,000 Kipsigis farmers and traders at an exorbitant price of Ksh. 270 million under their business flag Yasangwen Company Limited. But this farm has yet to declare its dividend to the farmers ever since its inception.

Mark Too, according to a source in Kericho had acquired the 100 years old tea bushes farm at a throw away price of Ksh. 38 million which was raised by the AFC but later made a huge profit when he sold it to the Kipsigis farmers at Ksh. 270 million.

The community is now up in arms demanding that Moi rectify all huge anomalies before his appeal for President Kibaki re-election could bear any fruits. Moi is also blamed for handing over handed 400 acres of prime tea land, which is close to the Tea Research Institute to his four most trusted Kipsigis friends for free. The farm was previously handed back to the President by the former owner Brooke Bond Tea Company as it was discovered to be standing right on the middle of water catchment area.

What transpired between Mark Too and the retired President Moi which led to the dismantling of Mau Forest Tea Factory and the reinstallation of its tea processing machineries at Moi?s privately owned Kapgatich Tea factory in Olenguruone Division, Nakuru district has remained a mystery, but according to one farmer Mr. Benjamin Arap Misoi, Moi had thwarted all the community efforts to acquire any of the multinational tea estates and factories in the region.

He gave the lip-service, and even inspired the community to form what was known as Rift Valley Investment Company and urged the Kipsigis to dissolve the original Yasangwan Company in vain.

A survey carried by this writer has revealed that Moi?s appeal is only entertained by a few oldies loyalists whose influence among the younger generation of Kalenjin has diminished. It will bear no fruit.

One of Moi?s close allies the former nominated MP Mzee Ezekiel Bargetuny is known to have grabbed several hundreds of acres of Kimwani ADC Farm in South Nandi for free, Bargetuny, his sons and daughters benefited from close to 1000 acres of Kimwani ADC farm which is located at the foot of Nandi Escarpment.

Three Kipsigis MPs who have joined the Moi; KANU bandwagon are obviously on their way out of Parliament. Paul K. Sang (Buret) had no chances of seeing the inside of Parliament chamber after the December 2007 general elections.And so are Nick (Bomet) and Anthony Kimetto (Sotik)

Moi is also being accused of having tactically short-changed the Kipsigis political leadership making sure that none of their own sons had acquired the national status in Kenya politics.

He first short-changed Dr. Tautta Arap Towett and replaced him with former friends the late Prof. Jonathan Ng?eno whom he later replaced with Kipkalia Kones. He also uses Joel Arap Chepkwony and dumped him for the late Isaac Salat.

Moi had preferred his Tugen and their neighbours the Keiyo for top civil and parastatals jobs, but used the Kipsigis only for beefing his personal security network, but later dumped them. The Kibaki administration later removed all the Kipsigis men and women from top jobs in public service and parastatals and replaced them with Kikuyus.

One political analyst Mr. Peter Lang?at dismissed Moi?s appeal for Kibaki?s votes in the region as mischievous and total miscalculation of political reality. His support would only worsen Kibaki?s chances of winning the elections in the same direction he caused the defeat of his Uhuru Kenyatta Project of the year 2002.

??Let Moi hand back our tea estate farms to the Kipsigis before he could ask us for votes. He made us poorer than before his accession of power in 1978?? remarked Mr. Kiptoo Arap Soy of Litein.

Moi however still remains a special and respected leader among the Kipsigis people, but the popular view is that he should get out of the political scene and leave politics arena altogether to enjoy his retirement peacefully.

The younger generation views him as a spent force and someone who had manipulated the community and exploited it to the maximum during Moi?s 24 year reign of power.

Political pundits view Moi as someone who had something to hide or a self seeker out to protect personal but excessive wealth that he and his family has accumulated for many years at the expense of the ordinary Kenyans.

Moi is also believed to be nursing a personal grudge against the ODM flag bearer Raila Odinga ever since the failed military coup of 1982 and KANU defeat of the year 2002 therefore his declared support for President Kibaki is a personal vendetta against ??Agwambo??.

What many people believe is seeking the future government for family protection and not out of principles and conviction.

Ends.
leooderaomolo@yhoo.com