Barely two years after the end of the KANU era, Deputy President William Ruto, then the Member of Parliament for Eldoret North constituency, became the first legislator to be charged with a criminal offense since President Mwai Kibaki took power in December 2002.
Ruto, then a KANU MP was on April 13, 2004, arrested together with former Lands Commissioner Samuel Mwaita in relation to a Sh272 million land deal under which Ngong Forest land was allegedly illegally hived off and sold hurriedly, to formed private companies.
After the land was hived off, it was split into 32 plots which were later allocated to 32 companies who then sold the plots to the Kenya Pipeline Corporation.
The police believed five of the companies belonged to Ruto.
The arrest sparked a political row with KANU, then the official opposition claiming the NARC government was targeting to arm-twist hardliners into agreeing to amend the contentious draft constitution which sought to have a powerful Prime Minister and a weaker President.
President Uhuru Kenyatta who was at that time the leader of opposition demanded that Ruto is taken straight to the court.
Ruto had been locked up at the Kileleshwa police station.
“We hope this is not an attempt by the government to intimidate members of the opposition into silence,” Kenyatta told the Parliament.
Over 17 KANU MPs among them Charles Keter, Nick Salat, Gideon Moi had earlier raced to the CID headquarters in Nairobi as news spread of Ruto’s arrest but failed to secure his release.
The DP was however acquitted of charges in relation to the land deal in April 2011 for lack of evidence.