Deputy President William Ruto is in a big dilemma over the highly emotive phase two evictions of squatters from the Mau forest, former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto has said.
Ruto said the DP has kept off the issue, which has highly raised political temperatures in the Rift Valley region since he was aware it could dent his 2022 presidential ambitions.
Speaking to the People Daily on Thursday, the former county boss said Ruto should not want to be seen like he is offending the Maasai community by opposing the evictions, and at the same, he would not openly support flushing out of his Kalenjin people from the water catchment.
Maasai leaders led by Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina have been very vocal in support of the evictions and have been at loggerheads with leaders from the Kalenjin community opposing the same.
“The DP, for instance, wants to be President in 2022 and he must continue smiling slyly at the Maasai because he needs their vote," he said.
"This means he is in a dilemma of favouring the Maasai community at the expense of members of his Kalenjin tribe, who he is likely to consider as captive voters— who have no choice but side with him at the ballot,” the Chama Cha Mashinani leader added.
The remarks come days after politicians allied to the DP asked him to keep off the Mau issue and let them fight the evictions they have termed as illegal.
“However emotive this issue is, you (Mr Ruto) leave it to us as leaders to hammer it in all forums. As a matter of fact, this is what will decide our future in the Jubilee government. We will not sit back and watch as the same government we are part of is persecuting our people,” said Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno on Saturday.