The Talai row on the coronation of DP Ruto

Who, between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, should carry the honorary title of a Talai elder and Kalenjin kingpin? Since 2017, it has been President Kenyatta, but last week Mr Ruto walked into a shrine in the wee hours of a Friday morning for a small ceremony, kicking up a political storm that, it emerged yesterday, has also caused a cultural division.

The Nation learnt Friday that divisions have emerged among the Talai Council of Elders following the ‘coronation’ of Mr Ruto, with one group disowning the dawn ceremony while the other defends it.

Those opposed to the ceremony are led by the council’s vice-chairman Christopher Koyogi and are now demanding that the Deputy President should start the process of reversing the coronation or face the wrath of a tribal curse, whose effect we could not establish. Mr Koyogi dismissed last week’s ceremony as a scheme to undermine President Kenyatta and an abuse of the Kalenjin community’s cultural values.

The group opposed to the coronation held a meeting at Kapsisiywa, Nandi County, yesterday and insisted that President Kenyatta is still in possession of the traditional leadership regalia handed to him in 2017, including the culturally revered sambut and kuutwet, and so no one else can be “coronated” before the Head of State completes his term in office.

“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,” said Mr Koyogi.

The other group is led by retired Anglican cleric James Baasi, in whose home the ceremony took place. It argues that Mr Ruto was adorned with the community’s sacred leadership regalia rightfully as he is the political kingpin of the Kalenjin. And with that, said Rev Baasi, the baton has shifted from the hands of Mr Kenyatta to those of Mr Ruto.

“The treasures we gave Mr Ruto symbolise different things,” he said. “The sambut is for inclusive leadership, the kuutwet and rungut for authority, while the sharit is for guidance. No one else can claim them until the DP finishes his reign,” Rev Baasi said.

And that declaration angered the other group even more, forcing it to yesterday demand that the DP should consult elders for a cleansing ceremony or else they will curse him.

“The DP and his associates should follow the right cultural channel and have both Nandi and Talai elders meet and perform the cleansing ceremony,” Mr Koyogi said, adding that they will not coax Mr Ruto to go for the cleansing.

Contacted by the Saturday Nation to explain whether Mr Ruto plans to reach out to the elders and calm the cultural storm, the DP’s Deputy Director of Communication Emmanuel Talam referred us back to the elders, arguing that it is they who understand the plans they have for the Deputy President.

According to the Koyogi group, the elders led by Rev Baasi are traitors driven by greed as they crowned the DP as the region’s political leader without involving five other sub-clans.

Mr Stephen Tuwei, an elder of the Turgat, which is a constituent family of the Talai clan, said this was an attempted coup “by a section of politicians keen on manipulating our tribe to suit their selfish political ambitions”.

He said it was against the Talai culture to perform a crowning ceremony in the wee hours and in a private home instead of a public forum.

“The coronation should not be recognised in our culture. It is the elders who choose and summon a leader to take up the official cultural leadership mantle,” added Mr Tuwei.

Mr Peter Korir, another member of the council, said the coronation ceremony is a long process that involves all leaders of Kalenjin sub-tribes and clans, who have to agree on who to lead the occasion.

“The ceremony is held in broad daylight as it is a community affair devoid of secrecy. Traditionally, night events are for planning raids and not crowning a leader,” said Mr Korir.

However, Mr Amos Korir, another Talai elder, said the ceremony was a confirmation to DP Ruto that he will take over from President Kenyatta in 2022. He said people had misunderstood the dawn ceremony, arguing that according to Nandi traditions, such events must take place in the wee hours.

“Yes, we crowned President Kenyatta in Nandi Hills in 2017, but what we did to the DP has nothing to do with undermining him; it is a sign that Mr Ruto will take over leadership from the President and the Head of State publicly promised us that,” said Mr Korir.

“All Nandi coronation ceremonies must be held between 5.30am and 6.30am. Everything was procedural. There will be two more such ceremonies: one in Kapsabet by the Nandi and the other, by the Kalenjin, at the Eldoret Sports Club.”

But Aldai MP Cornelius Serem, who accompanied DP Ruto to the dawn meeting last week, told the Saturday Nation that the event was not a coronation but “a courtesy call”.

“Rev Baasi had visited the DP earlier and invited him over. During the meeting we also planned how Mr Ruto can be blessed publicly,” said the lawmaker.

Others who accompanied Mr Ruto were Nandi Governor Stephen Sang and his Uasin Gishu counterpart Jackson Mandago, Senator Samson Cherargei and MPs Julius Meli (Tinderet), Caleb Kositany (Soy) and Wilson Kogo (Chesumei).

The Talai, descendants of Nandi legendary leader Koitalel Samoei, are highly respected and known to offer blessings and guidance to individuals – including politicians – seeking or holding high positions in the society.

Former President Daniel arap Moi and minister Nicholas Biwott, both deceased, are among leaders who were given blessings by the elders.