The Kalenjin Council of elders on Sunday condemned Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago for leading a group of youth in a traditional war ritual in Eldoret, protesting the botched Jubilee party primaries held on Friday.
The war ritual involved those present squatting and rising intermittently while uttering an oath believed to be a war cry.
One of the elders, Mzee Kibet Maswai, explained that the ritualistic Cheptilet could only be performed by an elder at select sacred places and as such, it was an abomination for the Governor to have led it without authorization on the street.
"These young people got it all wrong and as elders we were caught by surprise and we have asked the leaders involved to desist from ever doing it that way again," he warned.
Members of the public who heard and understood the cry fled for fear of possible unrest.
Leaders who believed the ritual amounted to an act of incitement called for an emergency security meeting with County Commissioner Abdi Hassan.
"It was embarrassing and unacceptable within the Kalenjin community to do such a cultural ritual publicly on the streets yet it’s clear when, where and how it should be done," admonished a popular governor aspirant, Zedekiah Bundotich Kiprop 'Buzeki'.
Governor Mandago has popularised the various facets of the Kalenjin culture with his trademark look of wearing a grass wreath - Sinendet - around his neck which is adorned during special occasions marking peace.
