Ruto, Moi rivalry plays out in battle for Baringo Senate seat

Up until April 14, Baringo North MP William Cheptumo was certain that he would succeed Senator Gideon Moi who had expressed interest in vying for president.

The three-term legislator is the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) flag bearer in the senatorial race.

Mr Cheptumo, a close ally of Deputy President William Ruto, won in the party’s primaries, garnering 69,420 votes against his closest challenger Isaiah Kirukmet, who got 45,681 votes.

However, Senator Moi’s entry into the race has complicated matters for the UDA candidate.

Mr Moi surprised his opponents when he presented his nomination papers to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) offices in Kabarnet town on May 30 for clearance to defend his seat for a third term.

Shelved presidential ambitions

After shelving his presidential ambitions to support Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party candidate Raila Odinga, Mr Moi was cagey on his next move.

Residents had even speculated that he would vie for Baringo Central parliamentary seat.

Senator Moi’s entry into the contest poses a big challenge to the DP, who is seeking to solidify his support in Rift Valley and bolster his presidential bid.

The two have been embroiled in a protracted battle for supremacy in the vote-rich region.

Abandoning residents

The DP has toured the county, Mr Moi’s backyard, several times in the recent past where he has launched several development projects in a bid to appeal to the electorate to support his party’s candidates, accusing the senator of abandoning residents despite being elected twice.

In fact, the DP’s allies have termed Senator Moi a ‘stranger’ in his own backyard for his long absence from the county, with Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen calling himself the ‘acting Baringo senator’.

During a Kenya Kwanza tour of the county recently, Mr Murkomen, a staunch Ruto ally, claimed Mr Moi, after being elected for a second term, told him his focus will be on national politics and wondered why he was vying for the Senate seat.

Projects to implement

Mr Moi countered that he has several projects to implement in the region and appealed to residents to support him.

“I’ve been cleared by the IEBC to defend my seat and I’m now free to seek votes from you. I’m your own son and I beseech you to support me in my bid. You know my opponents are there but I’m the best for that position,” he said.

“I’m prepared to work for you. That is my ultimate promise. We’ve many projects to implement that can improve the economy of this region and uplift your living standards,” he told his supporters in Kabarnet town.

During his manifesto and campaign launch at his Sacho home in Baringo Central two weeks ago, Mr Moi told residents that he has their interests at heart.

“You’ve seen the things I’ve done for my people and I don’t think there’s any other person who can rival my track record. If you believe [in mw] and elect me, I promise I’ll never let you down, and so far, I’ve lobbied for Sh8 billion that will be channelled to the building of new roads in the region. The records are there,” Mr Moi said.

Youth unemployment

Senator Moi also pledged to address the high rate of youth unemployment, perennial food insecurity and to lobby the government to deploy more police reservists to boost security in the troubled area.

Baringo was regarded as Kanu’s political bedrock being the hometown of former President Daniel arap Moi who ruled the country for 24 years and served as MP for more than 40 years.

The party is, however, facing a serious onslaught from UDA.

Mr Cheptumo is confident he will trounce Mr Moi, saying, the senator is ‘ignorant’ of the suffering Baringo people are facing.

“You’ve voted in Moi for two terms to represent you in the Senate but has he attended local functions since you elected him? He’s fond of wooing residents to get votes then he disappears only to resurface after five years, seeking your votes again.

“This is an eye-opener for you to discern between a good leader and a joker,” Mr Cheptumo said at a recent rally in Talai, Baringo Central.

He also criticised the Kanu boss for defending his seat yet he had declared his bid to vie for president, and was even blessed by the region’s elders and clergy.

‘Desperate move’

“You have actually seen that the same fellow who is claiming to have good relations with Azimio One Kenya coalition has been short-changed when the cake was being shared. He’s now at the periphery watching from a distance. I presume his coming back to defend his seat is a desperate move after being let down and not to serve the people as he claims,” Mr Cheptumo said.

The UDA candidate promises to uplift the lives of residents through the bottom-up economic model.

If elected, he said, his first assignment will be to sponsor a motion that will address perennial insecurity in the region.

“My priority is to uplift the living standards of our people, especially those who are in the remote areas. I’ll lobby for more funds from the central government to be channelled to the counties.We need more than Sh10 billion to be at par with other regions,” Mr Cheptumo said.

Failed to address challenges

However, his critics say the MP failed to address the challenges he’s talking about yet he has been in Parliament for 15 years.

Mr Cheptumo has been a legislator since 2007 and has also served as Justice and Legal Affairs assistant minister.

Mr Charles Kipkulei, a political scientist and strategist, said the contest will be between the DP and Senator Moi.

“It was widely believed that the contest would be over after the UDA nominations but with the change in political dynamics, the battle will be tough.

Battle of titans

With Moi’s return, it will not be a UDA and Kanu affair but squarely a battle of titans between him and the DP,” Mr Kipkulei said.

Clannism is also expected to play out in the race, with the Samor, residing in Baringo Central, claiming the seat is theirs since all other major elective seats have been taken by the dominant Arror clan in Baringo North.

Arror clan

Mr Cheptumo hails from Baringo North while Mr Moi comes from Baringo Central.

Since the advent of devolution in 2013, the dominant Arror clan have clinched the governor and woman representative seats because of their numbers.

This has ‘disadvantaged’ the Samor residing in Baringo Central, Lembus in Mogotio and Eldama Ravine sub-counties, the minority Endorois and Ilchamus communities in Baringo South and Pokot in Tiaty respectively.

Residents from the ‘disadvantaged’ groups have been calling for ‘negotiated democracy’ to have all communities share the top positions.

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