Deputy President William Ruto’s allies in Nyanza, want him to visit Kisumu and market his 2022 Presidential bid. Nyanza branch Jubilee secretary general Mr Steve Biko asked Ruto to reach out to all communities as he steps up his Presidential bid.
”We want to see a more inclusive approach exhibited by Ruto as he lobbies rest of Kenyans to back his bid to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta,” Biko said He spoke as it emerged that a Catholic Church has invited the Deputy President for a fundraiser in September 2018.
The St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Kisumu wrote to Ruto on July 24, asking him to grace the function.
Members of the function’s coordinating committee- Richard Onyisi and Cephas Kasera said they had confirmed the deputy president received the letter and were waiting for his response.
It is not yet clear if the Deputy President who has been using fund-raisers to make allies ahead of 2022 will attend the Harambee. Ruto has been an isolated man since the famous handshake between Raila and President Kenyatta.
Mau Evictions
Last month, a section of Rift Valley politicians linked Raila Odinga with the controversial Mau Evictions. Kipchumba Murkomen claimed Raila was working with unnamed government officials to scuttle the Deputy President’s 2022 bid.
“There are some people who recently joined the government through the backdoor and are working with some government officials to remove people from Mau,” Murkomen said.
“In their memorandum which led to a peace deal, one of the agenda items was to evict people from Mau so that they create a wedge between the settlers and their leaders,” the Elgeyo Marakwet senator claimed.
hey asked those evicted to return to the forest.
“I don’t want to hear anybody saying that he has been sent by the government to remove people from their farms. I am speaking on behalf of the government,” Murkomen said.
He promised that the government would supply the victims with building materials so that they can return to the forest from today. “We will return soon to supervise the process of returning to your homes,” he said.
His statement drew a swift rejoinder from National Assembly Minority leader John Mbadi who accused Murkomen of “making up things in a bid to shield Ruto”.
“No one should take Murkomen seriously. He is fond of making up things. We are telling him and his boss, the DP, to deal with the issue. They are in government and Mau eviction is their work,” said Mbadi, also the ODM party chairman.
Murkomen was speaking to evictees at Koitoben in Melelo ward, Narok South constituency, yesterday. He was accompanied by nine other MPs.
Mau Forest, the biggest water catchment area in the region, has been a hot potato for years. In 2010, Ruto opposed Raila’s efforts to restore the forest, riding on the issue to alienate him [Raila] from most voters in Rift Valley in the 2013 General Election.
Raila, then Prime Minister charged with coordination of government functions, had been tasked by a Cabinet resolution to spearhead the restoration of the water tower.
Although critical to the survival of many rivers that support thousands of livelihoods from the highlands down to Lake Victoria, the Mau Forest has been reduced into patches through settlements and wanton destruction overseen by previous governments.
In some areas of the Mau, the thick forest has been replaced by grasslands dotted with tree stumps or neat fields of wheat and maize. Truckloads of pricey charcoal and hardwood have for years left the forest.