Despite being generally a peaceful tour to North Rift, both President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto had a day to forget in Marakwet on Monday.
Owning to the fact that Jubilee party is nursing fierce internal party nominations and emerging supremacy wars waged by Ruto’s former allies led by Senator Gideon Moi and Isaac Ruto, the duo confronted reality at Iten town.
Trouble started when Ruto called for six piece voting method against wishes of thousands who had accused area governor Alex Tolgos of rigging his main rival Jackson Kiptanui.
To Ruto’s disappointment, the restless crowd started singing anti-Jubilee songs to the advantage of opposition outfit NASA.
Although the incident could be lightly dismissed as internal rivalry, analyst David Menjo says Ruto’s decision to back Uasin Gishu governor at the expense of Zedekiah Bundotich alias Buzeki contributed to some extent.
“They have a Keiyo being told to drop his bid in Eldoret and you come again trying to meddle with their local politics,” he says.
While Mandago is a Nandi who are predominant in the settler Uasin Gishu, Buzeki, a Keiyo is said to be taking roots given support given to him by non-Kalenjin communities.
Despite being minorities in Uasin Gishu, the Keiyo community produced Gladys Shollei and Margret Kamar as winners of Women Representative and senate respectively in Jubilee primaries.
Keen not to emphasis six piece voting system, Kenyatta deliberately avoided meddling in local politics and instead drummed support for his reelection.