Even as the 2022 presidential race slowly gains momentum, different Presidential aspirants have already started crisscrossing the nation in a bid to popularize their candidature as well as solidifying their political backgrounds.
Rift Valley region which is also considered one of the country’s vote-rich basket has over the past few weeks been politically active thanks to the decision by the Deputy President to revive his frequent visits to the region.
Ruto’s visit to the expansive region began in early August during the inauguration ceremony of then Bomet Deputy governor Dr. Hillary Barchok as the county’s new governor following Dr. Joyce Laboso’s death.
It is while at the function that Ruto warned Bomet residents against being misled by some selfish politicians from the region who were out to peddle lies in order to ‘confuse’ the locals.
Ruto was indirectly referring to the growing popularity of his main political rival Baringo Senator Gideon Moi together with former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto who have both expressed interests to work together ahead of 2022.
Gideon Moi over the last few months has been frequenting William Ruto’s backyard of Ziwa, Uasin Gishu county holding different meetings with Tanga-tanga rebels led by Moiben MP Silas Tiren and businessman cum Politician Bundotich Zedekiah (Buzeki).
These visits were used by Moi’s team as development meetings coming at a time the Rift Valley had cried foul over underdevelopment in their region despite voting for the Jubilee government.
With a section of the region’s residents seemingly embracing Gideon Moi’s presence, Deputy President William Ruto who had been away from the county for quite some time had to reconsider his decision and make some visits to the visibly cold region to counter Gideon’s growing popularity.
In the past one week, William Ruto has visited the North Rift region for two consecutive times, unveiling and commissioning a number of developments in the process leaving many insinuating what the region’s kingpin was up to recently.
But political analysts have associated Ruto’s increased visits to the region with Gideon Moi’s growing popularity. Mr. Moi has slowly been infiltrating the region using Ruto’s rebels who have promised to rally the region behind the son of the former President.
Reports indicate that Gideon and his allies used Ruto’s prolonged absence from the Rift Valley region to endear themselves to the residents usually coming out to defend the region’s farmers advocating for better prices and exposing cartels who were out to maize kill farming sector in Rift Valley.
Ruto had taken most of his time visiting Mt. Kenya region, Coastal and Western Kenya at the expense of his Rift Valley backyard something that left his region wondering if the DP was advocating for their interests.
The battle against Ruto has been fashioned around corruption and allegations that farmers in the region have for the first time since independence been impoverished after the Jubilee administration took over.
Ruto’s visit seemed to have been ignited by reports that former Bomet Governor Isaac Rutto and Buzeki have finalised a strategy to revamp Chama Cha Mashinani through a massive rebranding and recruitment of new members ahead of a face-off with Jubilee in 2022.
CCM, according to the strategy, will team up in an alliance with other parties including Baringo Senator Gideon Moi’s Kanu in a bid to whittle down Ruto’s grip on the vote-rich Rift Valley.
It remains to be seen whether Ruto’s visit will change the political wave in the region which was already going West or his rivals will just continue harvesting from his misfortunes.