Of all the Rift Valley politicians who supported ODM leader Raila Odinga ahead of the 2022 elections, save for Kanu Chairman Gideon Moi, former Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter is the only high-profile leader who has not joined President William Ruto’s bandwagon.
Mr Zedekiah Kiprop Bundotich, a businessman and politician popularly known as Buzeki, who has been a leading critic of the president from his own Uasin Gishu backyard, is among the latest to shift camp, formally joining the ruling party UDA.
Bundotich Zedekiah Kiprop alias Buzeki.
Photo credit: Kanyiri Wahito | Nation media Group
A seasoned politician, Mr Buzeki had positioned himself as an independent candidate in the last two general elections. A few days ago, He led a delegation from Uasin Gishu County to the UDA headquarters in Nairobi, where he formally joined the party.
“I have formally joined UDA today and from now on I will support President Ruto and his administration due to his transformative agenda for this country,” said Mr Buzeki last week as he positions himself to make a third stab for the gubernatorial seat.
Having once been dismissed as a political mercenary and an inexperienced newcomer, Mr Keter now cuts a solitary figure in the volatile political landscape of the Rift Valley.
Known for speaking his mind, he is viewed by his supporters as a fearless and honest voice in a world of compromise. However, the UDA, which has many followers in the region, sees him as a thorn in the flesh and a political detractor.
“I hold no personal grudges against President Ruto; it is only that we do not hold common political ideologies on issues affecting our people and the entire country,” disclosed Mr Keter in an interview.
He has now aligned himself with former Baringo senator Moi, who is President Ruto’s sworn political enemy.
Mr Joshua Kutuny, the former Cherangany MP and a senior member of Mr Odinga’s camp in the last general election, was among the first to defect to the government side, alongside former Kanu Secretary General Nick Salat.
Mr Kutuny is now chairman of the Kenya Copyright Board. For Mr Salat, a long-time loyal ally of Mr Moi, breaking ranks with the son of the second president of the republic, Daniel Moi, was considered a significant victory for President Ruto in the Rift Valley.
Mr Keter accuses the president of undermining the economy, citing massive corruption in health, housing and agriculture, among other sectors.
“I have firm political principles and I will not join UDA or contest any elective position in the near future. The only position I might go for in the near future is the presidency,” disclosed Mr Keter.
The former lawmaker, who lost in the UDA party primaries under controversial circumstances in the last general election, has criticised those who want him to join the party and support President Ruto’s second term in office.
“I have no issue with those joining UDA because of personal reasons, but as a matter of principle, I will not support President Ruto or join his party,” He vows.
The UDA party won almost all of the elective positions in Rift Valley, with lawmakers who were viewed as ‘rebels’ being voted out. Some of them contested as independents but still lost.
Among those who lost their seats are former MPs Vincent Tuwei (Mosop), Cornelly Serem (Aldai), Tecla Tum (Nandi County Woman Rep) and Mr Kutuny (Cherangany).
Vice Chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission, Isaac Kiprono Rutto, appears before the National Assembly Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee at Bunge Tower, Nairobi, on Thursday, July 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo| Nation Media Group
Others include former Bomet Government Isaac Kiprono Ruto, who has folded his Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) party to be part of the UDA family. He’s currently the vice chairman of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), a position he’d not occupy had he remained in the opposition.
Mr Keter continues to hit out at President Ruto’s administration over what he terms as extra-judicial killings, rampant corruption in the Social Health Authority (SHA), unjustified deductions for the affordable housing scheme and increased taxes.
“President Ruto and his UDA party should be prepared for a tough political battle in the next General Election, knowing well that most Kenyans are dissatisfied with his style of governance and he will serve one term,” said Mr Keter.
He claims that President Ruto is surrounded by sycophants who mislead him about the socio-economic issues affecting Kenyans.
“It is misleading for the President and his team to claim that the country was experiencing economic recovery when the cost of commodities, including fuel, is skyrocketing. Our public institutions are in ruins while majority of Kenyans cannot access quality healthcare,” argued Mr Keter, who still enjoys political support in the region.
However, it is emerging that Mr Buzeki's move to the UDA party is expected to complicate the political landscape for the gubernatorial race in cosmopolitan Uasin Gishu County.
Mr Buzeki lost to Governor Jackson Mandago, who is now the Uasin Gishu Senator, in the 2017 general election, receiving 82,869 votes to Mr Mandago's 126,681 in the Jubilee Party primaries.
He vied as an independent candidate in the 2022 General Election, garnering 127,013 votes against current governor Jonathan Chelilim Bii, alias ‘Koti Moja’ of UDA, who got 214,036 votes.
“I have learnt my political mistakes and I have come back to UDA to support President Ruto in implementing development agendas for the country, and I call the likes of Alfred Keter to also join the government,” said Mr Buzeki, noting that they (critics) will not take long before joining UDA.
He heaped praises on President Ruto’s administration, noting that he was ready to serve in any available position in the government.
“I have never had any issues with the President, and he knows that I have good intentions. It is only that I made political miscalculations in the past General elections and I have learnt lessons,” said Mr Buzeki.
He claims his political star has risen after joining UDA and was ready to implement his manifesto to transform Uasin Gishu County and the entire country.
“I know it is not yet political season, but I still have a debt to implement my manifesto for the people of Uasin Gishu,” said Mr Buzeki, alluding to the fact that he will still contest for the gubernatorial seat.
“I have businesses in China and I will source for investors who will set up businesses beneficial to our people,” added Mr Buzeki.
Mr Buzeki's decision to join UDA is expected to reignite the political realignment and ethnic supremacy wars between the two dominant communities in Uasin Gishu over the allocation of elective seats.
A battle is already shaping up between the Nandi and Keiyo communities, who together form the majority in the cosmopolitan North Rift region.
The two communities previously entered into a gentlemen's agreement whereby the governor would be Nandi and the deputy would be Keiyo. This agreement was maintained in the last two general elections.
However, political realignment is set to take place, as Mr Buzeki is expected to make a third attempt at the gubernatorial seat on the UDA ticket in a region where the Keiyo community and other sub-tribes hold the balance of power.
