Baringo Senator Gideon has finally been crowned as Kalenjin elder by Kapsisiywo Talai elders after the coronation aborted early this month.
The KANU chairman, Kahawa Tungu understands, was handed the community’s instruments of power in a dawn ceremony conducted by the breakaway group of Talai elders led by former Councillor Christopher Koyogi at his Kabarak home.
In the Friday ceremony that took about three hours, the son of the late President Daniel Arap Moi also got the mandate to seek the country’s top leadership position.
This comes exactly three weeks after rowdy youths blocked Gideon from being declared the Kalenjin spokesperson by the elders amid rivalry with Deputy President William Ruto.
Read: Rowdy Youth Block Senator Gideon Moi On His Way To Meet Talai Elders – Video
The group led by Mzee Koyogi had invited Gideon to Kapsisiywa for blessings, months after rival Talai elders declared Ruto the region’s Spokesperson.
The January 2, 2021 incident happened at around 4am along Sangalo-Kabiyet route where the youth had blocked the road, claiming that the community blessings had already been given to Ruto.
“GM was invited for blessings by Nandi elders while on his meet the people tour in the area. But as he headed to the venue where the elders were waiting he came across rowdy youth who blocked him. He, however, continued with the tour where he interacted with the locals”, said Gideon Moi’s spokesman Alex Kiprotich.
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Gideon was forced to cut short his journey after his plea to be allowed to meet his hosts fell on deaf ears.
The elders called out the youths terming their actions as politically and socially retrogressive. DP Ruto also condemned the incident saying “freedom of movement and association should be protected”.
Happy new year.We all had a difficult 2020 with ravaging pandemic,loss of livelihoods & devastating economic meltdown. By GOD'S Grace we SURVIVED.Let's make this year DIFFERENT &HOPEFUL by protecting our freedoms to ASSOCIATION,MOVEMENT & CHOICE while rejecting negative politics.
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) January 2, 2021
Mzee Koyogi maintained that the elders would continue with the cultural ritual.
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