Deputy President William Ruto. A section of the respected Nandi leaders now say last week’s coronation exercise went against cultural norms and demand its reversal, while coronating group insists the dawn ceremony was ‘misunderstood’. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Splinter group says President Kenyatta is still in possession of the traditional leadership regalia handed to him in 2017, including the culturally revered sambut and kuutwet, so no one else can be “coronated” before the Head of State completes his term in office.
The other group says last Friday’s ceremony was a confirmation to DP Ruto that he will take over from his boss after 2022 and so it was not a sign of insubordination of the President. He explained that people misunderstood the dawn ceremony, arguing that according to Nandi traditions, such events must take place in the wee hours.
Who, between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, should carry the honorary title of a Talai elder and Kalenjin kingpin? Since 2017, it has been President Kenyatta, but last week Mr Ruto walked into a shrine in the wee hours of a Friday morning for a small ceremony, kicking up a political storm that, it emerged yesterday, has also caused a cultural division.
The Nation learnt Friday that divisions have emerged among the Talai Council of Elders following the ‘coronation’ of Mr Ruto, with one group disowning the dawn ceremony while the other defends it.
