Kisumu
10/11/07
 
RETIRED PRESIDENT MOI ON A WAR PATH AGAINST RAILA ODINGA IN THE RIFT VALLEY.

By Leo Odera Omolo
 
The most interesting feature of the on going electioneering in the southern part of the expansive Rift Valley Province, is the political war between Daniel Arap Moi and the populist Raila Amolo Odinga.
 
In this region whose inhabitants are the Kipsigis and the Maasai communities, the retired former President Daniel Arap Moi is on the warpath trying to lock out the ODM presidential nominee Raila Amolo Odinga whose waves of popularity is sweeping the region like Tsunami.
 
Moi the self-styled professor of politics was in Bomet Constituency last week where he donated a brand new bus to a secondary school. He lost, no chance and unleashed scathing attack on ODM and Mr. Odinga.
 
In a speech punctuated with sporadic heckling and wild cat calls Moi appealed to the Kalenjin to support the re-election of President Mwai Kibaki as one way of ensuring their inclusion in the next government.
 
Moi apparently visited Bomet to drum up the support for his political surrogate Nick Salat the immediate former MP for the area who is locked up in grueling election battle with the populist former long serving MP for the area Kipkalia Kones. The latter is the torchbearer of the ODM party in the Kipsigis region.
 
Strangely enough Moi who has dominated the politics of the Rift Valley Province for close to 45 years seemed to be fighting a lost battle. He is a lone ranger because his entire former close political associates and friends appeared to have deserted and abandoned him. Most of them have joined Raila Amolo Odinga’s bandwagon.
 
Moi credibility with the masses in this region is full of distortion and contradictions his campaign in the area seemed to be headed to the rock. The communities in this region had bones to chew with the former President.
 
Members of the Kipsigis community who had served in the former President’s KANU administration in senior position and who have since then changed their allegiances and joined Raila Odinga include the former powerful PS in charge of Provincial Administration and Internal Security Mr. Zakayo K. Cheruiyot who is seeking nomination on ODM ticket to capture Kuresoi Constituency in the newly Molo district.
 
Zakayo Cheruiyot together with the former Head of Public service and secretary to the cabinet Dr. Sally Kosgei were the key persons in Moi’s last administration. Kosgei is contesting the Aldai seat in Northern Nandi district on ODM ticket.
 
Other notable personalities who have deserted Moi for green pasture in ODM include the former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the combined Armed Forces of Kenya Lt. Gen. John Koech. He is contesting the Ainamoi seat in Kericho district. In the race for the same seat in Moi’s former trusted friend Eng. Kipng’eno Arap Ng’eny who had served as the Minister for Water Development. In the defeated KANU regime between 1997-2002.
 
Eng. Ng’eny had earlier served as the Managing Director of the defunct Kenya Posts and Telecommunications. And the defending immediate former Ainamoi MP is none other than Moi’s former top police sleuth Noah Nondin Arap Too, who had served the KANU government as the Director of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for close to 18 years.
 
All former KANU MPs except Paul K. Sang (Buret) who was recently appointed Health Minister in the heels of the iron lady of Kenya’s politics Charity K. Ngilu after being sacked by President Kibaki for having turned up at the launching of the ODM party at the famous Uhuru Park, Nairobi before a mammoth crowd.
 
Ngilu launched scathing criticism of Kibaki administration as being full of dishonest leaders and corruption ridden. She has since then joined Raila Odinga in his break or die campaign against the incumbent President Kibaki.
 
The euphoria waves of ODM is nearly visible in all the 49 constituency strong Rift Valley Province which has registered the largest voters-totaling 2.9 million is not worrying only the retired President, but the incumbent too!.
 
In the past, politics in the region could be easily predicted with precision because KANU was the dominant party. But things have changed dramatically due to the fact that sharp differences existed between the youthful and current most influential politician William Ruto the immediate former MP for Eldoret North. Ruto is a member of the ODM Pentagon. He has become a thorn in the flesh of Moi.
 
Moi is Ruto’s mentor, but the two have since parted ways and fragmented this region, into two political blocks. The ODM is expected to harvest more seats, except in the central region of the Rift Valley where there is a sizeable number of immigrant settlers, mostly the Kikuyu who are supporting President Kibaki to the hilt.
 
Local political pundits maintains that Kibaki’s PNU party combined with KANU could win between 8 and 10 only parliamentary seats in the entire Rift Valley Province out of the 49 seats. The two constituencies of Molo and Kuresoi remained unpredictable due to recurrences of tribal clashes. Ethnic tension is high in the area and this could jeopardize the voting pattern in the two constituencies because most voters have fled their homes and took refuge in safe places far away from their voting station.
 
Five cabinet ministers from the Rift Valley are facing stiffest opposition from populists ODM aspirants. They are Kipruto Kirwa (Agriculture) Gideon Konchellah (immigration).
 
Prof George Saitoti (Education) and Dr. Noah Wekesa (Science and Technology) and Paul K. Sang (Health).
 
All the ministers in this region are fighting for their political life. Kirwa is trying to retain his Cherangany seat in Trans-Nzoia but so his colleague Noah Wekesa is also battling to retain his Kwanza seat in the same Trans -Nzoia.
 
Paul K. Sang is facing close to 15 opponents who included three women in Buret. The women are the excessively influential Mrs. Rachel Yegon the wife of Mr. Reuben Yegon the retired former corporate director of Brooke bonde, Unilever Tea Companies, Mr. Recho Ng’eno the widow of the late Prof Jonathan Nguloh Arap Ng’eno, the former MP for Buret and long serving cabinet Minister and the third woman Mrs. Edna Bore, the wife of the late Nyanza P.C Amos Bore.
 
There is likelihood that the South Rift could have a new woman MP for the first time in the Kipsigis political history.
 
In Sotik constituency Ms Lorna Laboso, the unmarried daughter of the late Mr. Fredrick Laboso a wealthy tea and dairy farmer could clinch the Sotik seat from the immediate former MP Antony (Sotet) Kimeto.
 
Both Saitoti and Konchellah are facing defeat in Kajiado North and Kilgoris constituencies respectively. Mrs. Yegon is also likely to be a winner in Buret. This will break the old traditional jinx, which he kept the women in the background. A woman has never won the elections in the Kalenjin rural except Mrs. Alice Chelaite, the Rongai immediate former MP and a former Mayor of Nakuru but only in urban-based constituencies.
 
Another former Minister whose political future appears to be rather doomed is the emotional and temperamental John Kipsang Arap Koech, the immediate former MP for Chepalungu in Bomet district. Koech resigned from Kibaki’s cabinet in huff and joined ODM last month. He is facing the largest number of contestants in history 42 aspirants in total.
 
In Trans-Mara, Kajiado and Narok districts, the ODM is the party of the day. The region is under the influence of the veterans’ politician William Ole Ntimama.
 
In conclusion Moi support for Kibaki’s re-election is a loosing battle. He is increasing getting more and more isolated wherever he opened his mouth to criticize Raila Odinga.
 
Ends.
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com