Kanu chairman Gideon Moi’s decision to break his year-long silence over an unfulfilled political pact with President William Ruto has opened a new battle for control of the Rift Valley vote, testing the President’s grip on his traditional political stronghold 10 months before the 2027 General Election.
Gideon, a former Baringo Senator, has accused Dr Ruto of reneging on an agreement reached a year ago.
In a departure from his usually non-confrontational demeanour, Gideon came out guns blazing last Friday, accusing the President of betrayal, deception and allowing his allies to target him and his family after the pact collapsed.
The agreement was unveiled on October 10 last year at the Kabarak home of the late former President Daniel arap Moi in Nakuru County. It was the first time Dr Ruto had officially visited Kabarak, where the President paid his respects to his former political mentor at the graveside before addressing Kanu delegates.
The meeting surprised political observers both in government and the opposition, given the chequered history between the two leaders and the significance of an alliance between the ruling UDA and the independence party.
In what was among the most combative speeches of his political career, Gideon said he had agonised over whether to go public with his grievances, having initially agreed to work with Dr Ruto in good faith.
“I agreed to meet with him (Dr Ruto) because he is the President. I did it out of respect for the Presidency. I gave the President respect on behalf of the people. I did that without reservation, despite resistance from my own people,” the former Senator said in Kabarak on Friday.
KANU chairman Gideon Moi (right) with former Tiaty MP Asman Kamama at his rural home in Kabaka, Nakuru County, on October 23, 2026, during a meeting with KANU delegates. Moi accused President William Ruto of failing to honour promises he made to the people of Baringo a year earlier.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
He said he had reached a point where he could no longer remain silent while his family and supporters suffered the consequences of the political arrangement.
“I need three things from you: pray for me, release me to chart a new political path, and I urge the people of Baringo to forgive me for trusting President Ruto and agreeing to work with him. I need the people’s prayers because I have a lot going through my mind,” he said.
The fallout comes as Dr Ruto intensifies efforts to consolidate support in his Rift Valley backyard ahead of the 2027 elections. The President has toured a number of counties, including Kajiado, Narok, Bomet, Kericho, Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Trans Nzoia and West Pokot.
Mr Moses Kiyiapi, a political analyst in Narok South, said the collapse of the arrangement showed how quickly the political equation had shifted following Mr Odinga’s death.
President William Ruto and Kanu chairman Gideon Moi after a meeting at State House, Nairobi.
Photo credit: PCS
“In effect, what Mr Moi (Gideon) means is that the relationship between him and President Ruto, and between UDA and Kanu, lasted five days, as Mr Odinga passed away on October 15, altering the political equation,” he said.
Mr Kiyiapi argued that Dr Ruto may have assumed he no longer needed Gideon's political influence after the President began making inroads into Nyanza following Mr Odinga’s death.
“It seems the President thought that he would not require Gideon's political muscle as the Nyanza region had opened up to him with the demise of Mr Odinga. That unfortunate decision is coming back to haunt him a few months before the next General Election in his own political backyard, where every vote counts,” he said.
Dr Ruto has, in recent months, publicly attacked Gideon, who had largely avoided being drawn into the exchanges despite pressure from leaders and supporters to respond.
The President had presented the Kabarak pact as a commitment to work with Kanu, saying he had benefited politically and economically from the late President Moi and it was time to return the favour.
“I sat with Gideon; we looked at past, current and future issues, and we agreed. But then the issue arose as to who will break the news of the pact and where will it be done? We had the option of State House Nairobi, State House Nakuru, or Gideon’s home in Makongeni estate in Rongai. But we agreed to do it here at Kabarak,” Dr Ruto said at the time.
He said the two leaders had agreed to work together to unite the country, adding that the government needed broader political support.
Prof Prestone Chitere, a social scientist at the University of Nairobi, said Gideon's decision to publicly confront the President after a year of silence despite repeated provocations was a significant political move that could politically destabilise Dr Ruto’s backyard.
Repair strained relationships
“The timing of the statement at a time the country is preparing for the General Election speaks volumes. It is a year after the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and coming at a time when the Mount Kenya region is perceived to have deserted the President, the Western region is at a crossroads, and the Nyanza is not assured,” Prof Chitere said.
“The President needs to think outside the box, make political peace with his enemies and avoid a situation where he is seen as a leader whose word cannot be taken to the bank,” he said.
The fallout has exposed a potential vulnerability in Dr Ruto’s political base, opening a contest over Rift Valley votes at a time when the President is seeking to consolidate support ahead of his re-election bid.
The emerging battlegrounds include the Maasai counties of Narok, Samburu and Kajiado, as well as North Rift counties such as Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Laikipia and Turkana. Kanu could also provide an alternative political platform for candidates and voters in other parts of the country.
The party currently has six members in the National Assembly: Guyo Adhe Wario of North Horr, William Kassait Kamket of Tiaty, Tana River Woman Representative Amina Abduallahi Dika, Jackson Lekumontare Leentoijini of Samburu East, Julius Lekakeny Sunkuli and Naisula Lesuuda of Samburu West. However, it has no representative in the Senate.
Kanu grassroots leaders have also backed Gideon's decision to speak out, saying it has helped recast his image from that of a hesitant politician to one prepared to confront the President.
Mr Joseph Sanga, a Kanu leader in Bomet County, said Gideon had finally explained the circumstances surrounding the pact and distanced himself from an arrangement he believed had been betrayed.
“For the first time, he has laid bare the deal, demonstrated how the President set him up to fail, faced the issue head-on and cleaned his hands off the political pact. His move resonates well with the people,” he said.
Mr Sanga said Dr Ruto now has to demonstrate that he could be trusted to honour political agreements.
“The onus is on the President to demonstrate goodwill, fulfil the deal or face the political backlash that is surely set to follow. As things stand right now, the President cannot afford to lose any support and foothold in Rift Valley at a time we are heading to the election. Yet he has chosen to fight the people he should be relying on,” he said.
Former Tiaty MP Asman Kamama, a former Assistant Minister and former Narc-Kenya vice-chairman, described Gideon's decision to seek the views of Kanu delegates and residents of Baringo as a political masterstroke.
“He (Gideon) has demonstrated the need to consult with the people and their leaders before making a major political decision. When he goes out to clinch new political deals and alliances, he would have done that with the blessings of the people,” he said.
Mr Kamama warned that Dr Ruto could not afford to underestimate Kanu as the country approaches the next election.
“You cannot afford to take Kanu for a ride moving to the next General Election. Kanu is deeply rooted in the country and has branches in all counties,” he said.
“As Kanu members and leaders, we are ready to take any political direction that Mr Moi will lead us to. We will go out and preach the message, one of betrayal by the President and his people, and one of a resolve to chart a new political path, find new trustworthy friends and move forward together,” he said.
Former Baringo Woman Representative Gladwel Tungo said the Kanu Chairman now had a responsibility to explain the fallout to supporters and begin building relationships beyond the President's political camp.
“In Rift Valley, we must start looking at issues post-Ruto leadership and start cultivating good relationships with leaders across the country. We cannot, as a people, afford to make enemies, but should seek to have friends across the country,” she added.
The fallout is particularly significant given the historical relationship between the Ruto and Moi families.
President William Ruto and KANU Party Leader Gideon Moi after a meeting at State House, Nairobi.
Photo credit: PCS
President Daniel arap Moi was seen as having helped advance Dr Ruto's political career, from his involvement in the Youth for Kanu '92 (YK92) lobby group to his roles as Eldoret North MP, Assistant Minister for Internal Security and Kanu secretary-general.
Speaking at Kabarak last year, Dr Ruto recalled his close relationship with the former President and presented himself as one of the political figures mentored by him.
“Some of us were privileged to work with Moi in his last years as Head of State. If there was a person close to Mzee Moi in his last years as President of Kenya, it was William Ruto. That is the truth,” he said.
He added: “If there are leaders who were the last-borns of Moi’s political life, I am among the last-borns. Like Gideon, who is the last-born in the family, I am one of the last-borns politically, and I am welcoming you home (Kabarak). This is home to us.”
The President appealed to Baringo voters to allow his candidate to go unopposed, acknowledging Gideon's influence in the contest.
“With Gideon having bowed out, why can't you, as people of Baringo, give my candidate the chance to go unopposed so that at home (Rift Valley) I can walk with my head high?” Dr Ruto said.
