Baringo Senator Gideon Moi's hesitance to reconcile with Deputy President William Ruto is alleged to have contributed to the political turmoil in the Rift Valley region.
In an interview published by the Daily Nation on Monday, February 17, Major Retired John Seii, a BBI taskforce member and Kalenjin elder insisted that Gideon Moi's political stance had contributed to disunity in the region.
While the junior Moi has not made clear his intentions to run for the presidency in 2022 unlike DP Ruto, Seii intimated that the Kalenjin council of elders had tried to unite the two for the region's sake but to no avail.
This, he attributed to 'personal egos', which he insisted was splitting the rift region in the middle and isolating the two leaders.
“We wanted to reconcile the two but I think it was not on their agenda … I think they wanted to run their own fields without realizing that in such a race, you need everyone on your court,” Seii was quoted.
He clarified that while the leaders did not directly dismiss the calls to unite, they each lost themselves in their political endeavors, a matter that Seii intimated led to even more disunity amongst the supporters in the region.
“They did not say they didn’t want the process but they turned us away. Everyone became busy with their own things and that is why their supporters are ever in a push and pull, hence the division,” he added.
While Seii acknowledged DP Ruto as the seniormost politician in the Rift Valley, he was quick to note that the region was yet to appoint a community leader.
“There is no proper succession plan. So there is no one who can assume the position. Ruto is one of our senior politicians, but when it comes to leadership, there is political and community leadership. We have not made anyone the community leader. He (Ruto) is just our political leader,” Seii told Nation.
Seii warned Gideo Moi that in the run-up to the 2022 polls, he would face stiff competition if he intended to run for the top seat against DP William Ruto.
“Political influence is built. It is rarely inherited, even in monarchies, hence the younger Moi should be ready to battle out with DP Ruto without the long shadow of Mzee,” he concluded.
