Another prosecution witness claims William Ruto sanctioned eviction of Kikuyus from Rift Valley

Updated Monday, October 21st 2013 

"Ethnic cleansing of Kikuyus is call Kutoa madoadoa" - Mashariaz 

By Felix Olick The Hague, Netherlands: A fifth prosecution witness has again claimed that Deputy President William Ruto sanctioned the eviction of the Kikuyu community from the Rift Valley before the 2007 presidential polls. The witness who took to the stand Monday claimed Ruto referred to the Kikuyu community as ‘grabbers’ who would be taken back to Central Province in a pick-up. “He started addressing people and said I want peace and went through the manifesto of ODM,” the witness said during his examination in chief Monday. “But before he could finish, he referred to Kikuyus as grabbers…He said Kikuyu people would be put in a pick-up and taken back to Central.”

The witness, identified only as P487, maintained that Ruto made the remarks at 64 Stadium in Eldoret town days before the General Election. “What did you understand grabbers to mean,” asked Prosecution Counsel Ade Omofade. And the witness said he understood the word to refer to Kikuyus who prefer buying land in the Rift Valley other than their ancestral Central Province. He also said sometimes, Ruto spoke in riddles and only his supporters could understand his language. According to his testimony, after Ruto electrified ODM supporters, they started shouting at the rally that Kikuyus should go back to Central. “People started saying Kikuyus should go back to Central. I became afraid and decided to leave the stadium,” he said. He said after the rally, the mood changed against the Kikuyus. “During this time, they referred to ODM as 41 communities against one… I became very afraid and hoped the elections would end quickly,” he said.