The rising star and fortune of Gedeon Moi in Rift Valley political landscape
Posted by africanpress on May 21, 2008
Publisher: Korir, africanpress@getmail.no
Commentary
<By Leo Odera OmoloWith the rapidly changing pattern of politics within the expansive Rift Valley Province the continued dominance of two major political parties namely PNU and the ODM parties now hangs in the balance.
But the only man whose stars seemed to be steadfastly on the rise is the former Baringo Central KANU MP Gideon Moi. The soft spoken favourite son of the retired President Daniel Arap Moi could be the man of the day comes the year 2012 if he plays his card well and ensure that he steer away from unnecessary controversies.
Gideon Moi, arguably is steadily making major inroads in nearly all sub-region of the vast Rift Valley Province. He has held consultative meetings in Trans-Mara with the Maasai leaders, organized a close door meting with the Kalenjin leaders in the north Rift and was recently spotted having a close door meeting with political personalities from across the region at his family tea estate and factory at Kaisugu, about 7 kilometres east of Kericho town. This particular meeting brought a large number of Kalenjins politicians from as far field as Sebei in the Mt. Elgon constituency.
This is said to be ostensibly at the expense of the Orange Democratic Movement, which is presently the party of the day in the region. The Raila Odinga led is reputed for having harvested a total of 33 parliamentary seats during the last general elections. Obviously this figure is the largest number of parliamentarians from one Province. All of these were pocketed by the ODM, But the seemingly dwindling unity of purpose, which had propelled this party to election victory is another subject of great importance
The local political pundits, were now quick in saying the populist party which only five months ago had swept the board and even further won the majority of civic seats in Town Councils, Urban Councils, Municipalities and County Councils is now on the receiving end..The fallout came about following numerous allegations and accusation that it had short-changed the communities that gave it thousands of votes in the last December general elections .And the ODM is doing very little in countering the se claims and dreadful allegations against it.
There is ample of a big drift of people in the region, particularly among members of the Kipsigis community, the most populous sub-clan of the larger Kalenjin ethnic groups. This people are said to have read malice in the recent cabinet appointment . The abrupt about turn, by its members of parliament is a major point to worry by the ODM leadership.
And the man who stand to gain from the fallout within the ODM rank and file none other than Gideon Moi who is out to cash on the disagreement. The younger Moi is praying that the disagreement should widen to the extent of a mass walk out of the ODM by the Kipsigis leaders.
The ODM only lost a few parliamentary seat in the Central Rift, especially in those area with heavy presence of the Kikuyu settlers.like in the case of Nakuru Town, Molo, Subukia, Naivash, Laikpia and Nyandarua .
The Kipsigis leaders maintains that they have smelt a rat on Raila Odinga’s political machinations because the Prim Minister had seen it fit to marginalize them in the same way former president Daniel Moi used to engage their sons and doughters for political expedition, but dumps them after he had achieved his political goals., a situation which has given Gideon Moi a leeway to recapture the glory lost by KANU under his father leadership in the year 2002.
It is imperative to note that some of the Kipsigis leaders were all along suspicious about Mr. Odinga’s political machinations, even long before the last general election. One of such leaders is Paul M.K. Sang, the former Minister for Health Services and the MP for Buret who had cautioned his colleagues who were campaigning for the Raila and the ODM to go slow over the matter, arguing that once the ODM supreme achieved his goal, he will eventually dump them.,.Sang’s prophecy eventually translated itself and became the truth of the matter.But the community remains adamant and gave in to the waves of Raila Odinga and the euphoria and the popular slogans for a change that accompanied them.
Mr Arap Mibei{The son of the Lake} is the name the Kipsigis gave Raila Odinga. It reigned the air all over the Kipsigis land from river Amalo in the far flung deep south to River Kipchorian {Nyando}.in the north east.
The Kipsigis elders for the son of the late Jaramogi was not in vain. It is part of the fulfillment of the long cherished belief a,mong the community that the third leadership of this country wojuld emerge from the Lake Victoria regionm. The prediction were made over centuaries by the old Kalenjins, especially the Kipsigis and the Nandis laibons
[Orkoiyot} who accurately predicted the coming of the White man and his rules.
The saying goes that after the Whiteman had ruled Kenya for some years the colonialist would be kicked out in a bloody uprising by the natives. There after a strong native ruler would emerge from the east {Kong’asis} and that the seond powerful rule of Kenya would emerge from the Kapkoilong’et Kalenjins } and this is what transpired during the rule of the late Jomo Kenyatta and thereafter that of Daniel Moi.
The predictions and prophecies goes that the third powerful rule would emerge from the Lake region. Having in mind of these mythiology, the Kipsigis elders visited villages after villages in Kericho, Buret and Bomet and pleaded with the electorate to vote for Raila Odinga on a man to man. They community appeal had extended to the Kipsigis area of influence in the outlaying districts like Molo, Rongai and Trans-Mara. The message was the same Arap Mibei only.
And after the elections were over, the community had duly submitted the three names to the ODM headquarters in the hope that one of them could be given the nomination to parliament. These were Mrs RACHEL Yegon, Mr. Joel Kirui and Lt. Gen. {rtd} John Koech. But none of them was picked nomination to Parliament. Odinga was later reported as having said that not even one single Kipsigis had supported the ideas of nominating one of their own during the process, whereas MP from other regions were scrambling for these nominations a claim that was given credence by one of the MP who admitted that they didn’t conduct lobby exercise for their people.
In the last general election Gideon Moi lost his Central parliamentary seat, which his father had sat on ever since 1963 to a relatively unknown political novice.. Ths happened not because Gideon was an ineffective MP in the nineth [parliament, but due to the euphoria of ODM, which was sweeping the entire region.
The ODM popularity in the South Rift region, however, will be put to a grueling test next month on June 11th, when the by-elections to fill the Ainamoi and Kilgoris seats takes place.
The contest is expected to be the toughest as there would be strong challenges from the PNU and its affiliate parties involve in the by-elections. Already the ODM haa ditched its former candidate Peter Ole Salaphan and settle on the former KADDU candidate Jinathan Kipyegon Ng’eno. Who is believed to have won in the last elections whose results were nullified by the ECK after the outbreak of violence.
Ole Salaphan had performed poor almost taking the fourth position after the two former cabinet ministers, Gideon Konchellah of PNU and Julius Sunkuli of KANU. Fr the ODM to capture the seat it needed a popular candidate. But owing to its much flawed nominations system in December, the party had ditched Ng’eno a Kipsigis 3ho had the popular votes and settled on Ole Salaphan.
Fr Gideon Moi, the by-election in Kilgoris would be a toll order, for had visited the area only two weeks ago and told the Maasai in proverb that it was unsual in Kalenjin to eatb the lips of a cow slaughtered for him, and that this was the exclusive preserve of the owner of the cow, implying that a Kalenjin should not claim political; leasdership in Maasailand, a view long held by his father. But Ng’eno’s.vctory would be a problematic for the ODM because the indiginant Maasai leaders have vowed not toallow a non-Maasai to become an MP for the area under all the circumstances come what may.
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