Tension
in the expansive Uasin Gishu county has risen to high levels after the
beleaguered Governor
Principal
Magistrate Francis Kyambia issued an order on May 27 last year stopping the
evictions but Mandago in total disregard of the rule of law, went ahead and
ordered his askaris to evict the smallscale traders by force.
Mandago
also issued an eviction notice to residents who reside in the densely-populated
estates of Kidiwa, Pioneer, Bondeni and Argwings Kodhek.
Mandago
was accused of using the lame excuse of evicting the residents in order to have
the estates repaired, but residents charged that the explanation does not hold
water.
Accusations
flew to the effect that sharks were rearing to grab the estates and it was for
this reason that Mandago had issued the eviction order.
The
occupants have lived in the affected estates for over 40 years.
Residents
said that the tension they were currently witnessing in Uasin Gishu was
tantamount to the one reigning in Lamu.
They
have strongly protested against the eviction move and appealed to the national
government to intervene immediately as Mandago continued polarising the county
and ruling with an iron fist.
It
has also emerged that a member of Mandago’s kitchen cabinet Sammy Ruto, a
former Mayor of Eldoret town and who has also been mentioned on several
occasions as having been linked to the 2007 post-election violence by providing
fuel to attackers, was the brains behind Mandago’s scheme of evicting people
from other communities.
Residents
described Ruto whose name has also featured in the ICC hearings, as “a
dangerous man and a tribal lord”.
They
charged that Ruto, who councillor of Kimumu, was misadvising Mandago on the
best strategies to adopt to kick out people from other communities from the
Uasin Gishu county.
Kimumu
was one of the areas seriously affected by the 2007/2008 post-election violence
and Ruto allegedly had all the tricks at his fingertips on eviction strategies
against people from other communities.
They
also accused Mandago of telling other communities to go where they belong”.
Mandago
was also accused of blocking sub-division of plots measuring one-eighth of an
acre, thus making it impossible for some communities to own title deeds after
purchasing the pieces of land from willing sellers.
County
employees who did not belong to his tribe were being frustrated by being posted
to disadvantaged areas so that they would call it a day and quit.
Similarly,
the county job rationalisation aimed at reducing the wage bill was targeting
other tribes, local residents complained.
Journalists
have also been ordered by Mandago to toe the line or be evicted from the
county.
Elders
from the other communities have petitioned the national government to stop
Mandago from his machinations against other communities.
Residents
told Weekly Citizen that should the planned referendum be held, the outcome would
be on a 50-50 basis like it happened during the 2005 plebiscite.
The
residents also said that they had called for divine intervention in churches in
view of Mandago’s rule which they hope would come to an end some day.
Some
residents said they wasted their votes by voting for Mandago during the last
general elections unaware that he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
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