Deputy President William Ruto has asked his political rivals in the South Rift, especially Narok and the Maa community to stop using the 2019 Mau forest evictions to fight him as he seeks the region’s vote for the presidency.
Speaking at Olopito in Narok North Constituency during a housewarming party for Nairobi Nominated MCA Leah Nankanae, the DP lashed out at his rivals claiming he would return the forest’s evictees to the forest should he become President in 2022.
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”I want to tell those who have been using the Mau issue to divide communities and to fight me in Narok to look for another political fodder. All those who were in the forest have already been evicted and the matter is now water under the bridge. Let us now face off with 2022 presidential aspirants on development track records,” the DP said.
Ruto also dismissed the assertion that he opposed the reclamation of the Mau Forest, saying he is on the frontline in the conservation of forests.
“I am pro-environmental conservation. The evictions were done when I was Deputy President of Kenya, and if I was against the eviction, then I could have used my authority to ensure it did not happen,” he added.
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The DP on Monday accompanied by Garissa Township MP Aden Duale, Rigathi Gachagua (Mathira), Kimani Ichung’wa (Kikuyu) and Bahati’s Kimani Ngunjiri made a number of stopovers at Narok town, Suswa and Ntulele trading centres as he drums up support for his 2022 presidential bid as well as selling his hutler nation agenda.
Local leaders present with the DP were MPs Korei Lemein (Narok South), Soipan Tuya (Woman Rep), Gabriel Tongoyo (Narok West) and Narok East’s Lemanken Aramat.
