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President Kibaki/File

Kenya

Ruto to host Kibaki in Eldoret on Monday

President Kibaki/File

NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 13- Eldoret North MP William Ruto will on Monday host President Mwai Kibaki when he visits Uasin Gishu County to commission development projects.

President Kibaki is expected to preside over the launch of the rehabilitation of the Eldoret-Ziwa-Kitale Road which cuts through Ruto’s constituency.

The Head of State will on the same day preside over a similar function for the Mosoriot-Kabiyet Road in Mosop Constituency.

“President Kibaki will arrive at Ziwa for the launch of the roads project at 10.30 a.m. and will be received by Roads Minister Franklin Bett, Kenya Rural Roads Authority Chairman Eng. Richard Chepkwony, area Member of Parliament William Ruto and other local leaders,” said a brief statement from the Presidential Press Service.

The tour is likely to have political undertones ahead of the 2012 general election.

Before commissioning the roads, President Kibaki will hold meetings with leaders from Uasin Gishu and Nandi counties.

The tour by the Head of State to Ruto’s backyard comes at a time when the Eldoret North MP is popularising his UDM party in readiness for the 2012 polls. Ruto has expressed interest in the top job.

The UDM party recently launched a recruitment drive where it prepared100,000 cards targeting at least 2,000 members in the 47 counties.

Ruto has teamed up with Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa, under the G7 political alliance which is seeking to field a single candidate for the 2012 presidential election to take over leadership when President Kibaki leaves State House next year.

The former Higher Education Minister has been working closely with the G7 team since he announced his intention to quit ODM and formally join UDM.

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ODM heads to the grassroots polls soon where it will seek to replace those who are viewed as Ruto’s allies from positions which they have been holding.

Ruto did not register as a member of the party.

He has announced that it is only a matter of time before he decamps from ODM where his relationship with the party leader, Prime Minister Raila Odinga has soured.

The Eldoret North MP on Thursday dismissed claims by the Prime Minister that he opted out of the Cabinet.

He says that Odinga refused to re-appoint him for refusing to play “hero worship” and sycophancy.

He said that he had excelled as a minister in all dockets he was assigned.

The last time President Kibaki was in Eldoret was during a peace rally at the 64 Stadium. At that time he praised Ruto as a good leader.

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