Rift MPs furious

A storm is brewing in Deputy President William Ruto's Rift Valley stronghold following what his allies call a calculated strategy to purge the community's top technocrats from government.

The fury came just a day after Kenya Pipeline Managing Director Joe Sang resigned in what some described as a 'polite' sacking by the State.

After the 2013 election, President Uhuru and Ruto shared almost half of senior government appointments. However,more than 80 per cent of the current Cabinet has been appointed by Uhuru. He has since been replacing some parastatal board members and CEOs of institutions controlled by Ruto appointees.

Multiple interviews pieced together by the Star paint a picture of a bitter community feeling betrayed by the government they laboured to instal.

Aldai MP Cornelius Serem bluntly said the Kalenjin community was being profiled and unceremoniously hounded out of office.

“What is happening? In less than six months, you have about six CEOs going home from one community. Does it make any sense? What crime have we committed? This country belongs to all of us,” Serem protested in a no-holds-barred interview with the Star.

He went on, “As a community we are very worried. Maybe some cartels for political reasons want to kick out the Kalenjin community from office...That is our concern because these guys are qualified.”

A number of high-flying career civil servants have been casualties of President Kenyatta's new wave of graft crackdowns.

Yesterday the President did not mince his words. He affirmed his resolve to fight corruption in an address to a rally in Kiambu.

'We will not relent," he said

Despite his previous assurances that the war was not political, Rift Valley politicians have come out guns blazing, claiming their sons and daughters were being sacrificed.

The first casualty was ex-Kenyatta National Hospital CEO Lilly Koros who was kicked out for incompetence following a brain surgery mix-up at the facility.

Then the corruption purge began and claimed many more.

They include ex-Kenya Power Managing Director Ben Chumo and his successor Ken Tarus, both PhD holders hailing from the Rift Valley.

“I think all of us aspire to be something in this country. You don't have to be allied to anybody. Chumo was actually a senior manager before Ruto became Deputy President...Tarus has a PhD, Chumo has a PhD,” Serem said, rubbishing claims that Ruto's allies are being targeted.

National Cereals and Produce Board CEO Newton Terer and a number of senior managers from the Rift Valley were also charged in the maize scandal.