The history of political rivalry between Baringo Senator Gideon Moi and Deputy President William Ruto can be dated back to when former president Daniel Moi retired from politics.
It was at this point that Senator Moi entered the game in a quest to succeed his father who had ruled for over 20 years.
By then, Ruto was already swimming in the ‘marky’ waters of politics and was serving as a Member of Parliament for the then Eldoret North constituency on a KANU ticket.
From there, the two leaders who hail from the Rift Valley region together with their allies have been engaging in ugly public spats.
On Monday, January 9, 2017, the two leaders met during the burial of Mark Too who was a former nominated MP and a close confidant to former president Moi.
The event was attended by a good number of dignitaries led by president Uhuru Kenyatta but the two political rivalries turned the event to a theatre for loaded political exchanges.
Addressing mourners mostly in Kalenjin dialect, Senator Moi accused DP Ruto of insulting those who were against him politically and asked him to let president Uhuru Kenyatta campaign for himself in the region.
”No one should ever tell me that I am dividing the Kalenjins, if you are truly a leader of the Kalenjins and you see people not of your view, you sit down and talk with them. You don’t go abusing them,” said Moi as quoted by Nation.
When DP Ruto’s chance came, he said, “I have heard people say that I should calm down and let President Kenyatta ask for 2017 votes here, himself. In 2013, I asked for those votes and we won. Leave President Kenyatta out of this. If you have a problem, you ask me. Where were you when we were forming the government, to lecture us now?.”
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