A rift among Kalenjin elders over the planned coronation of Deputy President William Ruto as the community spokesman has broadened after elders from the Sabaot sub-tribe declared their support for Baringo senator and Kanu chairman Gideon Moi.
According to the Sabaot council of elders, they would not accept anyone to be forced to them as the spokesperson.
The elders in a statement said Gideon was coronated as the spokesman of the Kalenjin community during a ceremony held at Kapsokwony in Mt Elgon on September 7 last year and the position remains the same.
The council of elders led by their Secretary Chepkorom Ndiema declared that they were not part of the plans to crown Ruto as the spokesman of the community.
Pius Arapa Kauka who is a member of the Sabaot council of elders accused a section of elders from Tugen and Nandi communities of being used to perpetuate Ruto’s political interests.
Kauka added that they had reclaimed the recent claim by some Tugen elders who said they had surrendered Mzee Moi’s traditional power instrument to the Nandi community for the enthronement of Ruto.
According to him, the chairman of the umbrella Kalenjin elders’ council Benjamin Kitur acted individually without consultation by leading a ceremony to allegedly receive Moi’s instrument of power in Nandi.
“Kitur and the elders from Tugen never consulted anyone and had no mandate to transfer such instruments of power from Moi’s family to anyone else,” Kauka said adding that the instruments claimed to have been handed over were still in safe the custody of Gideon.
Gideon Moi was handed the instruments by his elder brother Raymond Moi. While receiving the symbolic instruments from the Tugen elders Kitur said they were not the original ones handed to Mzee Moi 65 years ago.
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But Kitur insisted Moi was to return the instrument once he retired. However, the elders said they would not allow being led by groups seeking to push the Kalenjin community to the periphery of leadership in the country.
The Sabaot elders allege that Ruto and his allies were sponsoring separate sub-tribe meetings thus causing confusion within the Kalenjin community.
Two months ago, the Deputy President was crowned by Talai elders at a dawn ceremony in Nandi. It is expected that the elders from the Kalenjin community led by Kitur to hold another ceremony to install Ruto as spokesman and leader of the community.
Kauka has however maintained that they would not such ceremony since it would be a waste of time and it was meant to cause division within the community.
According to Sabaot elders, Ruto and his allies are chest-thumping and seeking power by force instead of being humble the way Moi was.
“Moi was even referred to as a passing cloud by those who didn’t want him to lead but eventually because of his humility and wisdom God ensured that he led the country for long. He was never a leader driven by arrogance and chest-thumping”, Kauka said.
Related: Talai Elders Now Question Ruto’s Coronation As Kalenjin Kingpin
