Cord leader Raila Odinga has now revealed why his popularity has been dimming in the expansive Rift Valley ever since he parted ways with Deputy President William Ruto.
Speaking in Narok on Tuesday, the opposition leader said his former accomplice in the ODM's Pentagon political unit, DP Ruto, is responsible for his gradual declining popularity in the region as recorded in the 2013 presidential elections.
Raila said Ruto politicised the controversial Mau Forest issue during his reign as Prime Minister to deny him votes in the expansive region.
"William Ruto accused me of initiating Mau Forest evictions those days when I was Prime Minister. That is not true. And why are evictions in Mau Forest still being carried out even today? That propaganda was used against me to drown my popularity in Rift-Valley. I vowed that by all means Mau must be rehabilitated," said the ODM party leader.
He spoke during the burial of Zipporah Lemein, wife of former Narok politician Philip Lemein.
However, the opposition leader thanked the Maasai community for being on his side in the Mau rehabilitation initiative.
Raila and Ruto broke ties in 2010 during campaigns that led to the adoption of the current constitution.
In 2007, Raila had a massive following in the Rift Valley region that is considered to be DP Ruto's stronghold.