The death of Bomet Governor Dr Joyce Laboso comes as a big blow to Deputy President William Ruto with regards to keeping the South Rift political block intact.
According to political pundit Gilbert Soi, the DP might have it hard retaining his popularity in the region which also doubles up as the home of his rival, critic and former governor Isaac Ruto.
It is worth noting that in the run-up to the 2017 polls, the DP used Laboso to keep at bay the former county boss who was then involved in supremacy battle him.
Soi now says that the DP has lost a great weapon which he would have once again banked on to stop the Chama Cha Mashinani party leader in the in 2022 polls.
“Laboso was unmatched and she was able to keep the CCM party leader at bay,” the commentator told the Standard on Sunday, a day after Laboso's burial.
He says that the exit of Laboso, formerly the MP for Sotik, might give CCM and independence party KANU some opportunity to flourish, considering that they have been fighting the DP.
His remarks echo those of Jonathan Rono, a CCM official, who says that Laboso's death has to a large extent caught the DP flat-footed in his plans to completely crush his namesake.
“The DP’s plan was to silence Ruto who was increasingly becoming popular in the region. The DP was seeking to stamp his authority as the Rift Valley political kingpin and he wanted loyal lieutenants like Laboso by his side,” Rono said in an interview with the Standard.
Another analyst, Philip Chebunet says that Laboso has left a vacuum in the South Rift region, as she doubled up as Ruto's point person in that region.
This, Chebunet says, was after the nomination of former Kericho senator Charles Keter to the cabinet, which left the job of consolidating Ruto's support in the region in her hands.
Laboso succumbed to cancer on Monday and was buried in Koru, Kisumu county on Saturday.