THE supremacy battle between Deputy President William Ruto and Bomet Governor Isaac Rutto has resurfaced once again. Rutto is consolidating his political base in the Rift Valley.
On Wednesday night, he mobilised professionals from the South Rift region at the Laico Regency, Nairobi, for what he termed a consultative forum on devolution. He sent the professionals SMS urging them to attend the meeting.
“I take this opportunity to invite you to a consultative meeting for leaders and professionals from South Rift…your contribution to the agenda on discussion will be highly appreciated,” read the SMS.
Apart from the push for a referendum on which the two have differed over, the eviction of Mau Forest squatters seems to have given them an opportunity to flex their political muscle.
Two weeks ago at Maasai Girls High School, Ruto issued a directive that people illegally living in the forest be evicted with a promise of alternative land.
Rutto immediately criticised the Deputy President, saying the Jubilee administration promised to settle the squatters during the 2013 general election. He questioned why leaders have changed their position.
“The people of Mau should stay put until they are fully compensated because the Jubilee administration promised not to inhumanely evict them as it happened in 2005,” Rutto said at Emorijoi Deliverance Church.
Rutto, Council of Governors chairman, is spearheading the push for a referendum to increase county allocations. Ruto’s allies have branded him a Cord sympathiser.
