Statehouse ‘Spanner’ That Calmed the Raging Referendum Storm in Rift Valley

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Statehouse ‘spanner’ that calmed the raging referendum storm in Rift Valley

A  meeting of leaders from Rift Valley mid last week may have calmed the raging storm that was threatening to tear apart the region.

 The meeting brought together bitter political arch rivals to resolve the conflict between pro-referendum and anti-referendum camps, a corny issue that was a ticking time bomb.

We can now authoritatively reveal Statehouse hand in calming the plebiscite storm in the larger Rift region. The meeting was to forge a common ground and a truce between the two rival camps to heal the rifts that have continued to widen.

Through its point man and political adviser Joshua Kutuny the meeting was meant to iron out issues that have poisoned the relationship between the two rival camps pitting Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, Kericho Senator Charles Keter and Nandi Senator Stephen Sang on one hand and Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, Nandi Hills MP Alfred Ketter and Nandi Governor Cleophas Lagat on the other.

Sources reveal Isaac Rutto’s team accused the Deputy President William Ruto of using Murkomen and his team popularly referred to as the ‘sky team’ to  undermine other leaders from the region and place roadblocks in the implementation of their decisions and stubbornly refused to back down from their ‘pesa mashinani’ push.

Murkomen’s team hit back accusing Governor Rutto for supporting the oppositions agenda and and being used by the opposition to fight the DP.

However Kutuny plead with Governor Ruto and other pro-referendum hardliners to drop their push promising that President Uhuru Kenyatta was ready  to address their issues. 

The Chairman of the Council of Governors, Isaac Rutto, said they are willing to call off their referendum push if the government accepted their demands.

What followed after the meeting was a weekend of defections with Governor Cleophas Lagat and his Baringo counterpart Benjamin Cheboi announcing that they had abandoned the push for more cash.

 At the same time Nandi Hills MP Alfred Ketter who was in the front-line spearheading the referendum push had hinted to quitting the push. Sources privy to the political undercurrents around the referendum issue confirm Isaac Rutto and his Kericho counterpart Professor Paul Chepkwony are expected to follow suit shortly.

It is also claimed Kutuny asked the Kalenjin leaders to cease fighting each other as they were becoming the laughing stock of others.

A follow up call from President Uhuru Kenyatta himself and his Deputy William Ruto to the pro-referendum hardliners is said to have completely sealed the crack that was threatening to break up in Rift Valley.