Mudzo Dzili with Wilson Sossion. (Photo/ the-star)
Let me crystal-clear in my description of the hate-love friendship of the two top K.N.U.T. leaders, Wilson Sossion ( now Hon. Sossion) and the Kaya elder Mudzo Dzili. It is basically a friendship brewed in a slippery terrain planted with the sharp objects of war.
That Mudzo Dzili's umbilical cord was buried far inside the thickets of the coastal Kayas while Sossion's was hidden in the labyrinth of tea plantations in Kericho is no secret to all of us.
A few days ago, we were treated to scenes from the theatre of the absurd when Sossion allegedly send Dzili on compulsory leave, a move that was soon opposed by Dzili who read ill motive in the pre-nature move.
The genesis of the conflict can be traced to the ideologies of the two leaders. Sossion is unapologetically militant while Mudzo Dzili is a moderate, like Aslaksen of Ibsen's 'An Enemy of the People.'
During the infamous teachers' strikes, Sossion found it hard to come to the negotiation table leading to a protracted strike by teachers which had serious consequences to the education sector.
On the other hand, Mudzo Dzili appeared to root for negotiation with government.
It was this that sowed the seed of suspicion between the two leaders creating a permanent sense of animosity in the union.
Mudzo Dzili has lamented the manner in which he has been send home without a farewell party.
So, when you see the two leaders coming to the national screens with teeth wide open, watch keenly the hidden daggers at their backs lest you be deceived by the wide grins before the cameras.