It is with awe and consternation that I have continued to read newspaper articles as well as watch TV news clips attributed to Eldoret North MP William Ruto advising Prime minister Raila Odinga to look elsewhere for votes since the Rift Valley people were no longer interested in working with the PM. That was ostensibly Ruto's response to the Prime Minister's latest foray in the Rift Valley region. Unfortunately, the remarks border on ostracism of fellow Kenyans in an attempt to gag their political right to interact with other Kenyans politically or otherwise as enshrined in the Bill of Rights. I want to offer free political counsel to Hon Ruto that the days of collective reasoning and gagging opinion you consider unwelcome are over. We the people of Rift Valley would like to interact with other Kenyans without any limitations whatsoever in order to fight the tribalism ogre that has bedeviled our nation for many years.

Furthermore, Hon Ruto must henceforth stop masquerading as the overall custodian of our individual votes in Rift Valley because he is just an ordinary voter like anyone else. We are at liberty to vote for Odinga or anyone else as this is our democratic right. We must reject leaders who pretend to fight tribalism at other forums but renege when in the company of fellow tribesmen.

The country has changed and even the most remote of rural populations previously gullible have come of age and will no longer be hoodwinked to satisfy the ego of an individual. It was with shock and disbelief that Ruto and other MPs, among them his blindly following lieutenants, frustrated efforts by ODM to elect Ronald Ngeny as MP to the East Africa Legislative Assembly and the same by Wiper Democratic Movement to elect Jennifer Masis to EALA.

This selfish effort by Ruto and his cohorts is an attempt to herd members of the Kalenjin community into hero and cultic worship of themselves to selfishly use the community to make deals with the powers that be in a manner which borders on batter trading of an entire community which is first made real by making the community shed all traits of reasoning and self reflection to the self appointed kings.

Ruto, therefore, needs to grow up before we can entrust him with leadership. When land was identified for squatters, he said they should be given cash. When the people of Keiyo were lobbying for the construction of the Nyaru- Kaptarakwa- Iten Road, he called a meeting at Nyaru to castigate PM Raila. When our athletes are training for Olympics, he called for a boycott. When PM went to launch the construction of Londiani-Muhoroni Road, he was nowhere to be seen. When Kenya voted for a new constitution,he led the Kalenjin people to the wilderness.

When the local option to try post-election violence suspects was proposed, he opted for the Hague but when the Hague was adopted, he blamed PM for his tribulations. The list is endless. Will he implement the document he vehemently opposed? Does he believe in the rule of law? Has he protected or will he protect community interests or his own?

The Kalenjin elders and other members of the community are so concerned with the direction Ruto and MPs associated with him are taking. The direction of self gratification at the expense of the community with the politics of exclusivity and hate against PM Raila Odinga based on nothing but a burning desire to ensure that Kenya remains under the rule of the minority rich who have continued to ride roughshod over the voting-machine peasants.

One major question I would like to ask Ruto is if he is aware that we are in a new political dispensation which we arrived at as a result of the sacrifice of some individuals, some of whom lost their lives while he himself and the YK group was used to harass the nation into submitting to Kanu's continued misrule. What is the difference between Ruto's stance in opposing the constitution and now opposing Raila Odinga? Is it not an exhibition of the same traits against Kenya that he would like to propagate as if Kenya has not changed and that the peasants must remain pure sycophants at the expense of future generations?

I did join Ford Kenya at a time when challenging former President Moi was treasonable and more worse by a Kalenjin tribesman. I was then motivated by a genuine concern to have our people free of chorusing for the big man at the expense of national cohesion and development. It is therefore not a surprise that after 24 years of Moi rule, we still have citizens from Rift Valley living under abject poverty and misery not to mention the siege mentality Ruto is attempting to propagate further.

I would like to inform my fellow Kenyans that we are enjoying with zeal the unfolding democratic scenario in the country because of other individuals who were maimed, others detained for long spells, others killed and many families have suffered in the long cause to make this country free and just to all.

Lately, we have watched with disappointment youthful politicians retreating to their ethnic cocoons to vilify other Kenyans very negatively in an attempt to wish away the here to stay new order in the country. They have lost their sense of nationalism, patriotism and even reasoning and may be like salt which have lost its seasoning as the holy book says in Mark 9 verse 50 that “salt is good but when it loses its flavour then it cant be seasoned” We must always align ourselves to pour common nationhood which is at threat of being clouded by cheap tribal leanings. As the world takes big strides in technology, it would be gullible for anyone to retreat into irrelevant cocoons which serve nothing but retard the nation many years back.

For my fellow villagers who have continued to be lectured and barricaded with all manner of accusations against Raila by Ruto and his brigade, you must understand that the issue is no longer Odinga but an attempt by politicians to hold you together that in the event of self destructing you accompany them down the drain and in the event of them winning election they leave us where Nyayo left us. We must change with the country and it is only Odinga who will deliver us to the safety of good leadership. I am not lying because at my age I have no reason to.

Kibor is the ODM cordinator in Rift Valley

[This article represents a personal view of Mr. Kibor and not necessarily the view of kalenjin.net]

Comments (2)

Plurality in politics
written by lionel, August 17, 2012

An interesting comment opening up the whole issue for debate.

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Kalenjin People have given Ruto the Mandate to chart their political direction
written by jktarus, December 29, 2012

The article titled "Ruto Posturing the Bane of Kalenjin Progress " was not authored by Jackson Kibor but was authored by an ODM remnant and sycophant called Jacob Kipkemboi who is actually on odm payroll to tarnish URP leaders in Rift Valley. The author is masquerading as Kibor which is totally unethical. This sycophant called Jacob Kipkemboi should not purport that his unpopular individual opinion about Eldoret North elected MP Hon. William Ruto and other URP leaders is the opinion of Kalenjins. To put the record straight, 95% of Kalenjins are wholly behind Hon. Ruto and have given him the mandate through the official Kalenjin Council of Elders to chart the political direction of the Kalenjin people.
We are confident that the URP and by extension Jubilee alliance which enjoys massive support in Rift Valley will form the next government. Lets support our elected leaders as they chart the best future for the community.

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