Updated Tuesday, October 30th 2012 at 00:00 GMT +3
By Karanja Njoroge and Vincent Mabatuk
Prime Minister Raila Odinga has gone flat out for the Rift Valley vote with a strategy tailored to bring Eldoret North MP William Ruto to his side through grassroots mobilisation.
It also emerged a section of the Kalenjin leadership now prefers working with him under a new negotiated arrangement that they believe would accommodate Ruto and protect the community’s interest better.
“The bottom-line of our talks is we told Raila to go and negotiate with Ruto and if he does not accept, he comes back to us and we shall decide the next step,’’ said a minister who is at the centre of the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity as he fears public statements on the matter could botch the negotiations now at a sensitive stage.
During a meeting with Kalenjin elders at a private home in Ngata, Nakuru, yesterday, Raila humbly sought forgiveness from the community which overwhelmingly supported him in 2007, and which Ruto is now goading towards Mr Uhuru Kenyatta’s The National Alliance.
He particularly responded to claims he was the force behind the Mau Forest evictions.
Raila’s apology is considered the first crucial step in confronting perception among Ruto’s supporters that he is ungrateful and dictatorial, and is meant to soften the region where Ruto calls the shots for his comeback.
Yesterday, Ruto met Kalenjin elders and leaders drawn from Transmara, Narok, Bomet, Kericho, Nakuru and Baringo. Next week, a source familiar with the ongoing behind-the-scenes talks, Raila will be in Eldoret, which is Ruto’s home turf, to meet representatives of the communities living in Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Keiyo/Marakwet, Trans Nzoia and Mount Elgon.
‘We have told (Raila) why we prefer working with him now that we know Ruto is not running for President but is preparing the ground for someone else,’’ said another source familiar with the unfolding political scenario in the expansive Rift Valley Province.
Ruto would not be drawn into commenting on the reported discussions and sought to be excused when The Standard reached out to him over the meeting taking place at Pilgrim Acres Hotel, Nakuru. “Please don’t get me involved in those things, that is for the organisers to comment,” Ruto said in telephone interview.
The leaders were specific, they wanted Raila to sustain talks with Ruto, and appeared to insinuate that if he did not change heart, they may either decide to confront him or mobilise the ordinary folk in the region to Raila’s side as happened in 2007 when initially Ruto preferred working with Mr Kalonzo Musyoka.
Describing the pact as a “formidable” one, the Kalenjin elders beseeched the PM to meet Ruto and iron out any issues they might have and forge an alliance ahead of March’s elections.
Raila Odinga who was accompanied by three ministers — Mr James Orengo, Paul Otuoma and Musa Sirma — and two Assistant ministers Magerer Lang’at and Beatrice Kones, as well as Kapenguria MP Wilson Litole was emphatic in his apology. “Forgive me, I am seeking forgiveness. If I erred, I am sorry I am a human being and apologise as we were in the same team last time,” Raila said in a subdued voice as he looked at the elders before him. He reiterated the talks between him and Ruto were still on track.
He gave a strong indication that formation of an alliance between him and the Eldoret North MP was still in the works when he revealed he was waiting for Ruto to respond to the proposal he gave him for a pre- election coalition.
“We talked with Ruto and we are still talking and the ball is now in his court. I am ready and willing to engage him in further talks,” Raila told the elders drawn from six counties within Rift Valley.
Raila told the elders he was the same ‘Arap Mibei’ (the name given him by the community in 2007) and said he had been wrongly blamed for some of the problems the people had faced.
“I have not changed and am the same Arap Mibei and I am ready to carry the flag you gave me to State House so that we can finish the journey we started last time,” the ODM leader assured the congregation.
During the daylong meeting, Raila absolved himself from blame over the issues raised by the some Rift MPs led by Ruto when they to abandoned ODM.
Pilgrim Acres Hotel is associated with former NCIC Commissioner Lawrence Bomet who is seeking the Nakuru Governor seat. He also attended the meeting.
Raila reiterated he had no role to play in the eviction of families from Mau forest saying it was a Cabinet decision, which was implemented following recommendation from a Task Force formed on how to reclaim the water tower.
“Most of the Kalenjin like you and want you to talk to Ruto. When both of you agree, we are going to be very happy as we believe it is a winning combination,” Councillor Joshua Cheruiyot told Raila.
Raila argued some of the issues that drove a wedge between him and Rift valley leaders could be attributed to the sharing of power between ODM and PNU where the Orange party was short-changed.
Raila said: “All the powerful positions went to the other side (PNU) and we had to share the leftovers. What we got was like removing meat from the jaws of a lion. Unfortunately our people started grumbling over the way the positions had been shared between various regions which supported ODM,” he went on.
“We were scoring in the same goal and were robbed of our victory. I have been wondering (why) some of the people who were our team members have decided to play for our opponents,” Raila lamented.
On the ICC issue the PM outlined to the elders the chronology of events that led to the six Kenyans being arraigned at the International Criminal Court.
Raila also addressed the issue of youths who were allegedly arrested after the post- election violence saying all those arrested in connection with the violence were later released after he sought Cabinet’s intervention.
“All those who were arrested including Kibor (Jackson) were released and I personally travelled from Nairobi to Nakuru after he was arrested,” Raila added.
Speakers at the meeting however told the PM that he should address some of the issues affecting Nakuru County including land problems and skewed resettlement of the internally displaced if he expected to get their support. Raila criticised a plot by some leaders to ensure all the seats in Nakuru County go to one community.
Led by Mr Pius Langat who is the United Republican Party secretary general in Nakuru County, the Nakuru elders listed land injustices as their biggest worry.
“How could the government purchase parcels of land, build schools, hospitals and shopping centres for a single community while others who suffered the same fate are left out?” questioned Langat.
Unless such injustices are corrected, other speakers insisted that the community was ready for to rebel against any URP decision to work with TNA. “This is the time people from the Kalenjin community weigh properly their next political direction and who they should support for the presidency”, advised Ms Alice Kering.
Former East Pokot MP Stephen Cheptai who said he was among those who called Raila to the meeting argued the region was not yet ready to work with a presidential candidate from Mount Kenya region and urged Ruto to change his mind.
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