http://www.the-star.co.k...o-what-caused-the-split

...Ruto has spread the myth that he brought Rift Valley to Raila Odinga in 2007. In the ODM 2007 presidential nomination results, Ruto not only came third behind Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi, but he also got fewer votes from Rift Valley delegates than either of them. So much for that myth. It is nothing short of nonsense. Odinga got 2,656 votes. Mudavadi got 391. Ruto got a miserable 368, more than seven times fewer than Odinga. Neither Mudavadi nor Ruto complained that it was a fix – because they knew darn well it wasn’t. In the previous general election, 2002, Mudavadi had not even managed to keep his parliamentary seat. Both he and Ruto knew that, this time, they had got to where they were because of the name ‘Raila Odinga’....

...Rift Valley voters fall into many ethnic blocs, some of them loosely lumped together as ‘Kalenjin’ (a word and concept that did not exist until the 1950s). And the ‘Kalenjin’ are by no means a homogeneous body of people. They comprise the Elgeyo, the Endorois, Kipsigis, Marakwet, Nandi, Pokot, Sabaot, Terik, Tugen, Sengwer and Sebei. These communities do not speak with one voice. In fact, some hardly speak to each other. Some actively dislike one another and have frequently engaged in warfare.

Then there are the other substantial, non-‘Kalenjin’, communities represented in Rift Valley – Turkana, Samburu, Somali, Kisii, Luhya, Luo, Maasai, Kikuyu.
Many among these who voted for Odinga in 2007 certainly did not do so because of Ruto. On the contrary, they voted in large numbers for Odinga at the 2007 ODM presidential nomination as a deliberate choice against Ruto as a leader....

...Indeed, Ruto has never been able to influence voters. He failed to influence them to vote for Kenyatta in 2002, and he failed again in the ‘No’ constitutional referendum campaign of 2010. His standing among voters in current opinion polls confirms this, hovering around a dismal eight per cent. In fact, apart from his time in YK92, when he had money to buy anyone, Ruto has never done well – except when he has been on the same side as Raila Odinga. Without Odinga, Ruto has always been a loser....

...Ruto’s whining began when Odinga shortlisted – to represent ODM in the 2008 negotiations with PNU under former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan’s chairmanship – Sally Kosgei (who knew and had good rapport with Annan), Henry Kosgey (ODM’s chairman) and Kipkalya Kones (pillar of the ODM 2007 campaign among the Kipsigis, which, as noted, is by far the most populous of the ‘Kalenjin’ communities).

Ruto stamped his foot and made a big fuss, saying HE should be the one. When he didn’t get his way, he began to shout that the ‘Kalenjins’ had always been short-changed. (I don’t know quite what he thinks happened for 24 years under Moi.) To quieten him down (like giving the naughty boy in class a job) Odinga decided to include him. The team that was finally named, initially supposed to be three people, was Kosgei, Mudavadi, James Orengo and ….. Ruto. That kept him busy for a while.

The next grouse came when Odinga distributed the 20 ministerial portfolios he was allowed under the National Accord, and Ruto petulantly complained that Rift Valley didn’t get enough. Nairobi, Eastern Province, and North-Eastern Province each got one portfolio (regional development, co-operatives and arid lands respectively), while Coast Province got two (tourism and East African Community). Western Province got three (local government, planning and fisheries) and Nyanza got five (lands, medical services, public service, immigration and public works).

And which province got the lion’s share? Yep, you’ve guessed it. Rift Valley, with seven portfolios (heritage, agriculture, roads, industrialisation, higher education, youth and sports). Ruto barely drew breath before going on to cause a lot of tension in ODM that eventually resulted in the party being forced to create two deputy leader posts to accommodate him. He got his way once again. But his moaning and complaining that Odinga short-changed Rift Valley has never ceased. Is it justified? I leave you with the facts and figures and you can decide for yourself...

Good points @Lolest!, brothers can hate each other more than strangers. So the hatred stems from their past friendship.

I wonder whether Elderkin has taken Miguna's old docket, hence you must taker her articles with a pinch of salt. Nevertheless, she writes thought provoking articles.

Why is it that Musalia will never accept a national delegates conference to vote for the ODM flag bearer? He suspects, I think quite rightly, that the guys who will show up will not be the ones who support him. It is quite easy to sneak in interlopers to vote for your opponent in this Jamboree. Peter Kuguru is on record complaining that the 2007 Kasarani NDC delegates from central where he is the point man were people he did not know at all.

Sarah can explain away all she can, but the reality on the ground is that actual voting in 2012 will not be done by hand picked delegates, but by the masses, who incidentally seem to listen to WSR

Sarah Elderkin should not be believed. She is a part of the old colonial order and still wares the old colonial habit.

Ruto was pissed by Raila appointing him a pentagon leader in the rift valley to lead a warrior troop in uprooting Kikuyus from the RV whether Kibaki won or lost. He was the best performer in this regard as burning, murders, burning houses etc was done with precision in the RV.

Ruto was the leading star at KICC defending ODM by all means necessary.

Then came sharing of positions. Elderkin must be so naive she cannot see the RV got gabbage cabinet posts while Nyanza got the prime positions and under one tribe (Orengo-lands, Anyong-medical services, Dalumas-public service, Kajwang-immigration and Obure-public works na kina Oburu odinga wako ass minister).

Ruto deserved to be the DPM for the part he played in ODM but instead, Musalia got it although he could not even marshal an mpigs seat in his backyard.

Finally, when the shickens came to roost, Ruto was left high and dry. He was expected to face or be accountable for various corruption deals (some used to finance ODM activities), take blame for PEV, and all other evils that ODM nurtured and implemented. Elderkin simply reflects the Mzunye mentality about Kenya.

Can someone tell them in black and white. We have come along way, Mzungu enslaved us, he colonized us, used neo-colonialism to achieve the same, and today still wants to screw our intellect. This cartoons should be told we know more today, a good number of us have matured intellectually and Miguna Miguna is yet to spill those beans and ground-nuts.

Some idiot tells me Mudavadi was paid 3billion by.... to rock ODM. Anyone with the facts. How much was Balala also paid? And Ngilu, and the other former Pentagon members?

@Guka - I saw your track packed next to a sugar plantation but could not trace you. Where were you?

i've always doubted this belief that WSR 'owns' Rift valley.
He does certainly have command of MOST kalenjin.
But we do have other tribes that don't necessarily follow him e.g. maasai

who'd have reliable numbers ? like what proportion of RV does WSR 'control'?