The Rift Valley rivalry pitting DP William Ruto against Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto is not about to end.
A fresh episode saw the DP accuse Rutto of working with the opposition to weaken Jubilee Party’s grip on the region ahead of the 2017 general election.
The Governor on his part asserted that Ruto had no respect for leaders who hold different political opinions on developmental and democracy.
The two spoke at separate functions in Bomet county on Sunday, in a clear demonstration of a feud unlikely to end.
Rutto told Ruto to stop undermining elected leaders and stifling democracy in his quest to become president in 2022.
“I am telling my brother William to learn to go slow if he wants to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta. Instead of uniting the people, he has actually been dividing the country,” he said.
The Governor also accused the DP and his allies of using church functions to insult and undermine leaders holding opinions different from theirs.
“I had given him time and space to tour the region and campaign but since he has chosen to insult me in various forums in the county, including the church, I will go bumper to bumper with him next time he tours the region,” he said.
“Enough is enough. I will not take it lying down anymore.”
Rutto asked the clergy to bar politicians from using church forums to preach politics of division and hatred especially as the country prepares for a general election.
“If the church has been turned into a platform for insulting leaders, the clergy should know that moving forward, we are ready to do political battles in church,” he said.
Rutto refuted claims by the DP that he formed Chama Cha Mashinani motivated by the need to destabilise Jubilee in the region for selfish reasons.
“I was elected by the people on the ground, not the political elite in Nairobi. I will continue to champion the rights of the poor and demand for equitable distribution of resources,” he said.
“For the record, I will defend my seat on a CCM ticket. I am ready to face their anointed Jubilee candidate.”
He addressed a thanksgiving meeting for Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union (KPAWU) at Kapkilaibei Primary School in Konoin constituency on Sunday.
The Deputy President spoke at St Theresa Catholic Church in Mogogosiek, Konoin, and at Ndarawetta AGC Church in Bomet Central.
Ruto accused the Governor of opposing the establishment of a public university in Bomet town and failing to sign an MOU on leased medical equipment.
He said the national government delivered equipment worth Sh805 million to Longisa hospital and Ndanai health centre despite Rutto’s opposition.
On this the Governor said: “Counties are paying Sh95 million every year to lease the equipment which is not even operational. They are lying idle in hospitals and keep accumulating dust as health workers have not received the prerequisite training on using them.”
-the-star.co.ke
