Cracks widen in Rift as factions clash over Ruto succession

Deep cracks have emerged in the Rift Valley as a Cabinet Secretary (CS) and a Senator get embroiled in a fierce battle over who succeeds William Ruto when he exits the Presidency.

An infighting pitting Interior Cabinet Secretary  Kipchumba Murkomen and Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago has caused sharp divisions among North Rift leaders.

The wrangles have culminated in three factions; one throwing their weight behind Murkomen and another group is rallying behind while a crop of politicians want a new path for Rift Valley – away from Ruto’s grip.

Empowerment drives and Sunday fundraising events that have been undertaken in the Rift Valley, and mostly in the North Rift region in recent months have been turned into platforms for leaders to flex muscles in the Ruto succession politics.

The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) wrangles that have been bottling up in Rift Valley have now snowballed into bitter exchange of words.

Murkomen openly waded into the succession agenda at an empowerment event hosted by Moiben MP Phyllis Bartoo in Tembelio, Uasin Gishu County earlier this month, triggering pushback from his critics.

According to the CS, Mandago can’t rise to the Kalenjin kingpin position because he has never defended Ruto as he (Murkomen) fiercely did when he was Elgeyo Marakwet Senator.

He says Mandago can’t match the energy he used while defending Ruto during his vulnerable days, especially during the second term of the Uhuru Kenyatta administration.

“When I was majority leader, I took many bullets for Ruto. I defended him before he (Ruto) spoke about his tribulations. Why do leaders suddenly become dumb when the time to defend Ruto against criticism comes?” Murkomen asked during the empowerment drive.

He praised Mandago’s political rival, Governor Jonathan Bii, saying he had united different communities in Uasin Gishu.

Murkomen said different communities were proud of Governor Bii.

The governor is among political leaders who have aligned themselves with the Murkomen faction. Others include politicians such as Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, Adams Kipsanai (Keiyo North) Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich his Nandi counterpart Stephen Sang and woman rep Caroline Ngelechei among others, who have rallied behind the CS’s ambitions of becoming next high-ranking politician.

“A Senator (referring to Mandago) is questioning Governor Bii in the Senate on challenges that was caused by his administration (Mandago’s tenure as Governor). He inherited the problems in health and other sectors from the previous administration, which was led by Mandago,” said Murkomen.

He added: “We must respect Governor Bii as we respect each other as leaders.”

But Mandago and his allies, including Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, have asked Murkomen to choose between being a politician and a CS in a crucial docket – the Interior ministry.

Other Mandago allies, including Kesses MP Julius Rutto and his Soy counterpart David Kiplagat, have accused Murkomen of undermining and demeaning elected leaders who don’t support his ideologies.

A day after Murkomen hit out at Mandago, the Uasin Gishu Senator said  he had declared interest in becoming a community kingpin.

“Some leaders preach unity during the day and plot discord at night. All this debate you are hearing (about 2032) is about Mandago but I want to separate the truth from the lies,” Mandago said in a church fundraiser in Moiben.

He went on to state: “Many people are talking about being a kingpin. I want to ask you, have you heard Mandago saying that he wants to be something (kingpin)? I want to ask these people to stop discussing non-issues.”

“I have a job as the Senator of Uasin Gishu and my focus is on ensuring that I champion development of the county I represent,” he added.

He said Murkomen had no moral authority to criticize political leaders for exercising their rights to speech.

“Murkomen was a senator and he was in a group called the Sky Team which launched political attacks on anyone perceived as their rival. If you want all of us to sail in the same boat, then give every leader the opportunity to deliver on the jobs they were elected to do,” said Mandago.

The Senator further said that it was wrong for Murkomen to come to Tembelio and tell locals that he (Mandago) did not achieve and that he should answer to audit queries during his tenure as a governor.

“I was a governor that time and I’m now a senator, and it’s now my turn to ask questions. If you are claiming that I didn’t complete projects, don’t also forget to mention that I left the money to complete those projects. Let us speak the truth. If you want us to work as a team, we must end the culture of an MP going to another constituency to insult a colleague elected by the people,” he said.

Keiyo North MP Adams Kipsanai, who was Murkomen’s personal assistant before being elected in 2022 said Rift Valley politicians should cease the discourse about where somebody (Murkomen) was born, claiming that such utterances would split the community.

“Let us speak in one voice. President Ruto gave us several state officials, including CS for Interior, Principal Secretaries and Chief Executives and chairpersons for parastatals. Let us not be the ones undermining him,” Kipsanai said.

Cherargei claimed that Murkomen was often yearning for funeral and fundraising opportunities to use them as platforms to demean other leaders.

“We have a CS who has made it a routine to include funerals in his schedules so that he uses the opportunity to do politics instead of serving Kenyans,” said Cherargei.

Murkomen has, however, maintained that he works with both national and county leaders from the Rift Valley region and beyond.

Mogotio MP Reuben Kiborek, who is also perceived to be an ally of Murkomen said in an online interview that there was no rift in the Rift Valley, and that the succession politics were beginning to take shape.

“All the political leaders in the 2032 succession politics support Ruto’s re-election bid. It is not a serious discussion and the majority of us are supporters of President Ruto. We share one father, we are siblings and we look up to him and we are focused on his re-election,” Kiborek said.

President Ruto reportedly scorned the succession politics during a State House meeting on Monday that endorsed the change of October 12 Mashujaa Day venue from Kamariny in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet to 64 Stadium in Uasin Gishu.

According to sources, a furious Ruto warned the CS and the Senator to immediately cease the succession debate and focus on helping him secure a second term.

In the Rift Valley reorganization undercurrents, Senate Majority leader Aaron Cheruiyot is being positioned for South Rift political kingpin, a position that is set to further divide the Kalenjin Rift Valley into two – the North and South.

Former Bomet Governor Isaac Rutto endorsed Cheruiyot for the kingpin position a month ago, saying he represented the next generation of leaders.

“I met with William (Ruto) after his election in 2022 and we discussed as elders because we belong to one generation. All of us were in YK92 and we want youth who will take up leadership after our exit. In our region, we have Aaron (Cheruiyot),” Rutto said.

In a post shared on X last November, former Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter compared Ruto to a school principal who, despite producing poor results, insists on lecturing parents rather than addressing the core problems.

Keter is leading the Ruto opposition faction in the Rift Valley.

“William Ruto is like a school principal who, after posting a mean score of D-, will continue to pester the parents about how they should not transfer students to other schools since he has a solid plan! Happy Sunday, Average Thinkers!”  Keter wrote.