How the Kalenjin Council of Elders is Fueling Ruto-Gideon Supremacy Wars

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Deputy President William Ruto and Senator Gideon Moi supremacy battle is not something new to the public.

The long term conflict which has been unfolding for some time and likely to continue playing out is a rivalry for leadership of the Kalenjin between two leaders who believe they need it as a ladder to the presidency.

Because Ruto and Gideon also come from two smaller communities within the bigger Kalenjin ethnic group, the conflict is not just one between two individuals but between the Tugen and the Nandi, from which they hail from. It is a community versus community battle fueled by the community elders.

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The genesis of this conflict is rooted in negative ethnicity, the ideology of all our ethnic community politics that propel leaders to seek the leadership of their ethnicities and clans as a base of reaching national leadership.

 See, the ethnic conflict is not just within the Kalenjin but amongst all Kenyan communities. Worse, the ethnic malaise is not considered as a weakness that leaders should avoid qualifying for national leadership, but as a strength that leaders seek as a stepping-stone to higher leadership embraced as ethnic diversity.

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Last month, efforts by influential Kalenjin elders and leaders to reconcile  William Ruto and his rival Gideon Moi collapsed. Ruto’s side insisted that Gideon, should suspend his own presidential ambitions in favour of their man.

But the son of retired President Daniel Moi stood his ground and insisted he will only back down if he sees a clear benefit to the Kalenjin community and to Kenyans.

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Other sources now claim that the elders are taking a ride of the two leaders. They pretend to unite the two while their real aim is to enrich their pockets.

The Ruto Gideon war has been taken as a Tugen and the Nandi supremacy measure. None of the community elders want to bow down to the other, so the battle goes on.

Mistrust between the two sides has as well played a big role in the collapse of the talks, with each side accusing each other of harbouring ulterior motives.

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Gideon Moi political cards have seen a number of the Rift valley leaders dump Ruto to other parties. This will, therefore, divide the Rift valley votes if the two do not get into a mutual agreement by then.

Here is how Moi is outwitting Ruto in the forthcoming elections;

 

Ultimately we have been doing politics of ethnic bulls that fathom no internal competition but rather encourage internal ethnic conflict, which upon accommodation nationally, tears the nation apart because no effort is made to eradicate it.

At the national and community levels, two ethnic bulls cannot live in the same kraal.

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