Men behind battle between Ruto, Gideon in Baringo and Pokot

What you need to know:

  • Prof Lonyangapuo and former Tiaty MP Asman Kamama have been selling the DP’s agenda in the two regions while Mr Kamket has been a staunch defender of Senator Moi.

  • Governor Lonyangapuo, who is on record saying he will work with DP Ruto in 2022, told the Saturday Nation that the Rift Valley “is not about Gideon and Ruto”.

The battle between Deputy President William Ruto and Baringo Senator Gideon Moi for the control of the Rift Valley vote bloc has sucked in other regional leaders.

Baringo and West Pokot counties, which have been Kanu Party zones thanks to the popularity of the late President Daniel arap Moi, seem to have become one of the new battlegrounds, with Governor John Lonyangapuo and Tiaty MP William Kamket flexing their political muscles.

It is only in the two counties that DP Ruto did not have solid support in the past two elections, and he has put a lot of effort since the last elections to correct this. Having made dozens of visits to the area, his efforts seem to have borne fruit, as Prof Lonyangapuo is now seen as leaning towards supporting the DP.

In Baringo, Kanu lost to the Jubilee Party in the gubernatorial race. Jubilee also won four constituency seats against Kanu’s only seat in Tiaty. In West Pokot, Kanu has won both the governor’s and senator’s seats in the past two elections, with Jubilee capturing some constituency seats.

Prof Lonyangapuo and former Tiaty MP Asman Kamama have been selling the DP’s agenda in the two regions while Mr Kamket has been a staunch defender of Senator Moi.

Governor Lonyangapuo, who is on record saying he will work with DP Ruto in 2022, told the Saturday Nation that the Rift Valley “is not about Gideon and Ruto”.

“What is important now is service delivery to the people. In any case, the two have not been cleared to run for the presidency. Both of them are supporting President Kenyatta and the President has not retired,” he said.

Kanu Secretary-General Nick Salat said Kanu was interested in regaining its turf in the Rift almost 20 years after losing it to the DP.

He said that with the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) and the blessings given to Senator Moi by his family and the clan to take over from his father, Kanu is stronger and will regain its support in the region.

“We are planning several meetings across the region to meet our supporters and promote the BBI. The party is not dead as some said, it is now stronger than ever,” Mr Salat told the Saturday Nation.

He added that as the first party to back the handshake between President Kenyatta and his political rival Raila Odinga in 2018, they would ensure that no other party steals the show in the Rift when it comes to BBI.

Mr Kamket has been a harsh critic of the DP, and is among leaders who have urged the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to investigate him after his office was linked to the Sh40 billion fake firearms deal involving former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa and foreign investors.

But Prof Lonyangapuo has defended the DP’s office against corruption allegations.

“We should allow relevant agencies to do their work. They have the capacity as per the law to investigate corruption claims. We should support the agencies for the steps they have made so far,” the governor said.

In 2017, Prof Lonyangapuo was crowned the Pokot spokesperson, 16 years after the death of vocal Moi-era Cabinet minister Francis Lotodo, who was the de facto community spokesman for years.

But in August last year, Mr Kamket was also installed as the community’s spokesperson in a ceremony held in his constituency.

Recently, Governor Lonyagapuo protested that he was still a staunch Kanu leader as claims that his support was waning went round.

Political analyst Ewoi Lochom says the clamour for constitutional review through BBI is likely to shape the political landscape and dynamics in the region ahead of the 2022 General Election.

“We are in a scenario similar to that the Kikuyu community faced in 2002 when they had Uhuru Kenyatta and Mwai Kibaki running for President. As a region, we also have two potential presidential candidates, since both the DP and Gideon are enjoying the support. The person Raila Odinga and President Kenyatta will back will likely carry the day,” he said.

Additional reporting by Stanley Kimuge.