Eyeing 2012, Ruto team takes over UDM party

By VITALIS KIMUTAI and PETER MUTAI

A recent declaration by Eldoret North MP William Ruto and legislators allied to him that they would decamp from the Orange Democratic Movement left many Kenyans guessing where they were headed.

But this week’s bloodless coup in which the chairman of United Democratic Movement (UDM) was ousted has led to talk that the party Mogotio MP Hellen Sambili belongs to, is being prepared to receive Ruto.

In what could be a move to purge UDM of those perceived to be having close links with Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Gen (rtd) John Koech was dethroned from the chairmanship and replaced with a former Kenya National Union of Teachers chairman, Joseph Chirchir, said to be a close ally of Ruto.

Ruto’s threat to quit ODM together with MPs allied to him is as a result of what are perceived to be irreconcilable differences with the PM.

After joining the coalition government, Raila and Ruto have been on opposite positions on almost every issue. The biggest rift between the two has been over the eviction of settlers from Mau Forest in efforts to restore the water tower.

The PM at one time attempted to suspend Ruto over a maize scandal while he still served as Agriculture minister but President Kibaki rejected the move. When he was recently suspended from his post as Higher Education Minister, pending determination of a case brought against him by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, Ruto blamed his suspension on Raila.

Their irreconcilable differences also hinged on the desire by the two leaders’ ambition for the presidency in 2012.

During the 2007 elections, Rift Valley Province voted for Raila overwhelmingly and the move by Ruto to decamp from ODM could deny the PM a crucial voting bloc.

Speaking in Rift Valley recently, Ruto promised his supporters that he would announce the party he wishes to move to before the end of the year.

Yesterday, two senior UDM party officials who spoke to The Standard on condition of anonymity confirmed that the removal of Koech was to prepare the ground for Ruto and his team to join the party ahead of the next General Election. "Koech is a close ally of Prime Minister Raila Odinga and was seen to be a stumbling block in having other prominent leaders joining the party across the country," said one of the official.

Koech’s removal from the top seat did not come as a surprise to many as all the other officials had ganged up against him in the run-up to the referendum in August.

Mixed reactions

He had teamed up with ‘Yes’ proponents to market the new Constitution in Rift Valley while all the other top officials had joined Ruto in campaigning against the draft.

With Koech’s removal, all the remaining party leaders in UDM are allies of the Eldoret North MP.

The other party leaders include former MPs Samuel Moroto, Moses Cheboi, Kibet Komen and Nathaniel Chebelion are close allies of Ruto who is also the ODM deputy party leader.

Efforts to get comments from Ruto did not succeed but MPs allied to him gave mixed reactions with some admitting that their political bloc was behind the ouster of Koech.

However, Koech yesterday told The Standard that he would not give up his post without a fight.

"As far as I am concerned, I am still the bona fide party chairman of UDM. You know only 18 members of NEC out of the total 36 members attended the alleged meeting called to oust me," Koech added.

Koech said he and his group have already filed an objection with the Registrar of Societies to stop his removal.

"I know that those who plotted the ouster are being used by some politicians who are not members of UDM to take over the party," Koech told The Standard yesterday on phone.

The party’s secretary general Hassan ole Kamwaro said NEC members met on Tuesday and replaced Koech.

Ole Kamwaro said the changes were effected in line with the Political Parties Act and the new laws, which demand that public officials should not hold positions in political parties.

Koech claimed that Sambili attended the NEC meeting but left after she realised that the motive of the meeting was to oust him from party leadership.

UDM Director of Elections Moses Cheboi said the move was taken to conform to the Political Parties Act saying this will enable the new leadership to popularise the party at the grassroots ahead of the 2012.

Yesterday, Koech said, "Even though I am serving as the chairman of the poverty eradication commission, the decision to resign from the party lies with me and not NEC," he said.

Some MPs allied to Ruto also admitted that the coup in UDM had their blessing while others said they were not aware.

Chepalungu MP Isaac Rutto and his Emgwen counterpart Elijah Lagat, both of who are Ruto’s close allies were bold enough to say MPs and residents of Rift Valley would be joining the party.

Massive following

"Yes, UDM is the party of the future in Rift Valley as it enjoys massive following across the country," Rutto said in a brief statement saying he would expound on it later.

Rutto previously defied his ODM party that sponsored him to Parliament and campaigned for UDM candidate Brigadier (rtd) Alexander Sitienei in the Sotik by-election against current ODM MP Joyce Laboso.

Rutto teamed up with Koech, former MP Nathaniel Chebelion and other UDM top guns to campaign for Sitienei who came second to Dr Laboso in the by-election, that was occasioned by the demise of her sister and former Assistant Minister Lorna Laboso.

But another key Ruto ally, Cherangany MP Joshua Kuttuny said they were still weighing their options. He, however, admitted that UDM was "one of three parties they were considering moving into".

Lagat yesterday said on telephone that the decision to join UDM might not be unanimous but some MPs had already made up their minds on the issue. "The party has a national outlook and is one of the best options for us as a region. The people on the ground are for the idea," Lagat said.

Kuttuny said there were three optional parties that Rift Valley MPs were considering joining ahead of the next general election and that an announcement would be made soon on the matter.

"What went on in UDM was just an internal party issue. It might not concern us much because we are still in ODM and we have not sat down to deliberate and make a decision on it," said Kuttuny.