The move by Uhuru Kenyatta to meet Former President Daniel and his son Gideon Moi has not been received well by a section of Jubilee leaders allied to William Ruto.
Reports indicate that the meeting took place without the knowledge of Deputy President William Ruto further raising suspicion about the agenda between Uhuru and the deputy president nemesis in Rift Valley Gideon Moi. A local Newspaper reported that Ruto and his camp were not happy and felt threatened by the deal made by the president and Gideon who has declared to vie for the presidency in 2022. There are fears that plans were being laid to replace Ruto with Gideon as the Rift Valley Supremo. In the meeting, it was decided that Jubilee would not field any candidate to oppose the Baringo Senator whereas KANU abandoned its plan to have a presidential aspirant in the August elections.
There has been a protracted battle to control the voter-rich Rift Valley region with a war of words occasionally spilling to the public. Last year the Deputy President had prevailed on Betting Control and Licensing Board member Simon Chelugui to challenge the Baringo Senator in the August elections. The DP had earlier invited 1000 Baringo residents to his home where he requested them to support Mr. Chelugui.
During the burial of Mark Too, the two viciously attacked one another with Gideon accusing Ruto of using his position as the deputy president to benefit himself at the expense of the Kalenjin community. Besides, he asked the Uhuru Kenyatta to campaign directly and not through proxies like the Ruto. The Deputy President in a rejoinder asked Gideon not to disturb the president and called for the region’s unity.
