The controversy surrounding the coronation of Deputy President William Ruto by Kalenjin Talai elders took a new twist with the elders arguing that installing Ruto would be disrespectful to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Speaking to the media on Friday, June 11, the elders stated that they recognised Kenyatta as Kenya's leader after coronating him in 2017 and they would not want to jeopardise the relationship between the Head of State and his deputy.
The elders refuted claims that they installed Ruto and blamed it in on a young group of Kalenjin leaders who were misguided.
"President Kenyatta sought our blessings to continue with his reign after the first term and a ceremony was held in Nandi Hills.
"We crowned him with leadership accessories and it was wrong for a section of elders to mislead the DP," Talai clan vice-chair Christopher Koyogi stated.
Kenyatta and Ruto's relationship has been on the rocks, with the Head of State cutting off DP's powers in his Executive Order issued on June 3. The elders argued that they wouldn't want to wage any further war between the two.
According to them, installing Ruto would be tantamount to betraying and toppling Kenyatta from his reign.
"We gave Uhuru our blessings and we can't give the DP blessings when Uhuru is still in power.
"Installing Ruto as the next leader would complicate the relationship between the two. How will Uhuru think of us if we install someone else yet he is still in power?" the elder wondered.
He further advised Ruto to follow the right procedure to be coronated as the leader.
"The DP and his associates should follow the right cultural channel and have both Nandi and Talai elders meet and perform the cleansing ceremony," Koyogi proclaimed.
