This man Ngeno: Why MP defied William Ruto

The late Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno maintained a turbulent relationship with President William Ruto, dating back to 2007 when the outspoken legislator first entered elective politics in Narok County.

In a previous interview, Ng’eno said their differences began when Ruto urged him to step aside in the Kilgoris parliamentary race and instead support former Narok Governor Samuel Tunai, who was also contesting the seat.

Enjoying fervent backing among members of the Kipsigis community, Ng’eno opted to run for the Kilgoris seat on a KADDU ticket in the 2007 General Election. He later returned to ODM, on whose ticket he contested the May 2008 by-election.

The 2008 by-election was won by former MP Gideon Konchellah after the 2007 poll was disrupted amid tensions, with members of the Maasai community reportedly suspecting that Ng’eno was poised to be declared the winner.

Electoral Commission of Kenya offices and ballot papers in Kilgoris Town were set ablaze after reports emerged that Ng’eno intended to petition the High Court for a recount to determine the rightful victor.

The rivalry between Ruto and Ng’eno resurfaced in 2013 when Emurua Dikirr Constituency was carved out of Kilgoris, a move supported by both the Maasai and Kipsigis communities to enhance representation.

In the 2013 general election, Ng’eno was elected MP for the new constituency on a Kenya National Congress (KNC) ticket. Ruto backed his rival, David Keter, who contested on a United Republican Party (URP) ticket and finished second.

After Ruto became Deputy President in 2013, he reconciled with Ng’eno at a public rally at Kamerumeru Primary School, announcing that they had resolved their differences and would work together for the benefit of residents

“I would like to announce to the people of Emurua Dikirr that I have resolved to work with Ng’eno, whom you elected as your MP, to ensure your new constituency develops,” Ruto said in April 2013.

Ng’eno, who was elected on a KNC party ticket that supported Peter Kenneth for the presidency in 2013, said they had resolved to work with the Jubilee government.

“I would like to assure Ruto that I will support him henceforth, because the people of Emurua Dikirr love the two of us equally, and they have demonstrated this by voting for me as their MP, Ruto as Deputy President, and Uhuru as President,” Ng’eno said in April 2013.

But the camaraderie did not last long. The two leaders would later fall out in 2015, with the legislator accusing the government of being insensitive to the plight of victims of the Mau Forest evictions, many of whom came from his Kipsigis community.

Ng’eno described it as absurd for Ruto to publicly claim that there had been no state-sponsored forced evictions of Mau Forest dwellers, and that a legislator had torched houses and posed for photos for the media, when it was evident that the government had forcibly relocated the people. During a television interview in June 2015, Ruto stated that an MP had been seen posing alone for photographs beside a burning house, with no owner, cow, or even chicken present.

“I think Ruto is losing his senses,” Ng’eno retorted, calling the remarks unbecoming of a national leader.

He warned that mishandling the Mau evictions would erode Jubilee’s support within the Kalenjin community, drawing parallels with the political fallout experienced by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

“Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, fondly known as ‘Arap Mibei’ among the Kalenjin, lost favour because of the manner he dealt with Mau Forest dwellers, with Jubilee leaders making capital out of it only for them to engage in the same mistake now,” said Ng’eno in June 2015.

Ng’eno later aligned himself with Kanu chairman Gideon Moi and successfully defended his seat on a Kanu ticket in 2017, defeating Keter, the Jubilee candidate backed by Ruto.

Sensing shifting political winds, he reconciled with Ruto ahead of the 2022 General Election, joined the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and defeated Keter in the party primaries.

Ng’eno was elected chair of the National Assembly Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works, playing a central role in the passage of the Affordable Housing Act 2024. He remained a combative public figure, notably confronting police after six people were killed in Ang’ata Barikoi.