In 2007, the community played a crucial role that saw Raila garner majority votes in one of the hotly contested elections.
The aftermath of those elections was unprecedented violence that left more than 1, 200 people dead, over 600, 000 displaced, and property worth billions of shillings destroyed. Raila was appointed the Prime Minister in a turbulent coalition government between him and President Kibaki; this was as a result of the 1.5 million votes Odinga got from Rift Valley Region.
Odinga’s political fortunes in the region started dwindling in 2010 when he fell out with former Eldoret North MP William Ruto. This and other factors contributed to the dismal performance of the Raila-led Cord in Rift Valley province.
Political pundits say flawed campaign strategies employed by the PM in Rift Valley were to blame for his poor performance in the just concluded elections.
“Raila downplayed Ruto’s influence in the political destiny of the Kalenjin community-that had all along never been in a serious political competition after the retirement of former President Moi,” observed Simeon Yatich, a politician in the region.
According to Yatich, instead of the PM creating new political connections in the region through young politicians, he relied heavily on aged leaders who never appealed to many voters.
The first clash between Raila and Ruto appeared on the post-election violence ramifications.
At the beginning of his presidential campaign; while Raila maintained uncharacteristic silence over the issue, Ruto and his brigade blamed him over this and the post-election violence consequences.
Ruto made voters in the region believe that Raila had betrayed the community.
The last nail in their relationship was the restoration of the Mau Forest . Raila failed to convince voters in South Rift region that the programme to restore the water tower was drawn, signed and sealed at the Cabinet level where Ruto and him sat. -The Standard
