By Rael Jelimo

Kapsabet, Kenya: “You have to be capable, available and reliable.” These are the words the late Ezekiel Barng’etuny directed to aspiring politicians who turned to him for mentorship and help to achieve their political dreams.

Nandi County was Friday treated to rare snippets into the life and times of the fallen Nandi political kingmaker through many a speaker at his requiem mass at the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Kapsabet, Nandi County.

Business came to a standstill as his body passed through the town on its way to the stadium in a farewell march. Friend and foe united to give ‘Blali Hell’ a hero’s send off at the headquarters of a county and a people he led for many years.

Barng’etuny was eulogised as an ardent Kanu supporter known to have referred to himself as a “Kanu Life Member”.

It is this love and loyalty for Kanu that saw him rise to power, becoming one of retired President Moi’s closest confidants. This saw him revered and hated in equal measure by many a politician whom he used his power and influence to make and break.

Several speakers praised him for his loyalty, strong stand and decisiveness.

“I went to Barng’etuny seeking his support during the 2013 Nandi gubernatorial elections. He asked me to vie on a Kanu ticket. I remember telling him that most Nandi voters were no longer in Kanu. His reply was ‘Ignorance is very dangerous. Don’t you know that the whole country is in Kanu? Even those claiming otherwise took their baby steps in Kanu,” narrated Judah Bett, a governor aspirant on the Kanu ticket.

Shrewd power broker

This fanatical Kanu love saw Barng’etuny stand by his party at a time when the greater Nandi Community had been swept by the URP and Jubilee wave. His last words to Bett before the campaigns and elections were “You must win; otherwise we will all have lost.”

Barng’etuny leaves a legacy of a heavy handed kingmaker who shaped Nandi politics. Most speakers expressed their sense of loss at a man who stood by his president, his party, his people and his country without fear or regret.

It was evident that his ways were not always orthodox or constitutional, but the Nandi will remember him as a shrewd power broker who had his way; one way or the other.

“One time, a young man went to a school that Barng’etuny was a BOG chair looking for a teaching job. The late Barng’etuny asked the young man a rather personal question during the interview; ‘Are you married?’ The question did not sit well with the young teacher who answered rather rudely as to what his marital status had to do with his teaching capability. Needless to say, he lost the job,” narrated Nandi Senator Stephen Sang.

Sang went on to explain that the late Barng’etuny was in the least interested in the young teacher’s marital status. He was testing whether the young teacher was patient, the school being a girl’s school.

“Barng’etuny’s dismissal of the teacher was ‘Don’t waste your time looking for a job in the 32 schools that I am BOG chair,” Sang said.

Yet another speaker told of an experience a KTDA manager had in the hands of the power broker who fired a worker known personally to Barng’etuny.

“He reinstated the man the same day, asking the manager to explain to him if he can feed the man’s family,” narrated the speaker.

Land clashes

The life of Barng’etuny was not without controversy as he was adversely mentioned as a leader in the Rift Valley who was involved in the infamous land clashes that rocked the province.

An article published by the Human Rights Watch accused him of making inflammatory statements and involvement in financing the clashes. The accusations have however not been proven or presented in court for hearing.

Despite that, The Standard witnessed as many people in Nandi attended the mass in utter curiosity to confirm that the ‘tingisa kitole’ coiner was actually dead.

“He is actually dead,” expressed one.

Many other Nandi residents lives have been affected one way or the other by the power broker’s influence. Alex Kosgey, the Emgwen MP, refered to the late Barng’etuny as “my father’s father” referring to the big role the late Barng’etuny played in Henry Kosgey’s political career.

‘Blali Hell’ was eulogised as an educationalist whose legacy lives on in his grandson Brian Kimutai, the 2013 KCPE top student.

Barng’etuny will be laid to rest Saturday in his home in Tinderet.