Deputy President William Ruto could be a worried man, not because of the plots by his political competitors like Raila Odinga but because of position taken by Tanga Tanga brigade over Mau evictions.
At his Rift Valley backyard, Dr Ruto will now be forced to either stick with government or quit and support his people, the Mau forest squatters facing eviction.
In a fundraiser couple of years ago, Dr Ruto accused government of driving people out of Mau and even went ahead to fundraise for them.
When he returned to Narok South on Friday, Dr Ruto snubbed the ongoing Mau forest evictions, only sticking to the Jubilee government delivery agenda.
“The Big Four agenda rolled out by President Uhuru Kenyatta would not succeed unless youths take advantage of the upgrade of training facilities and expansion of TTI’s so as to get skills and competencies to participate in transformation of the country,” he said
In the next few weeks, over 60,000 families will be rendered homeless by the very government he serves. His stand on the matter could determine his grip on Rift Valley politics.
Already, his own allies have launched vicious attacks on government, a move that further complicates the situation for Dr Ruto.
"My humble request to Uhuru over Mau evictions is that he fundraised for this people when Raila Odinga was chasing them. He came in 2013 and asked them to vote for him. What Happened after 2017 that makes him to plot to kick them away?
"Stop damaging the lives of the poor because you're not going to contest. Children in Mau are like those in your house. If you want to chase them, you have over 50,000 Ha. Give them around 7,000 because after all the land is not yours," said Oscar Sudi.
Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen, another close ally of Dr Ruto, has also dismissed the impending evictions, making it even tough for the DP.
“We want to make it clear that the people living in Narok South are actually living in a trust land and are genuine buyers of land from titles issued by the government and by no means can they be categorised as forest dwellers,” said Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen.
With his Tanga Tanga brigade having taken a position, Dr Ruto will now have to chose between standing with them and Mau people or the government.
Already, his political opponents from Rift Valley led by Isaac Ruto and Gideon Moi, have opposed the impending evictions, a move that throws Ruto into a limbo.