Why Rift Valley's political spine has cracked

The political vibrancy that once defined Kenya’s Rift Valley has markedly waned, with many of its leaders now seemingly subservient to executive authority.

For decades, the region was known for producing passionate politicians unafraid to challenge the State. Leaders such as Jean-Marie Seroney, Taita Towett, Chelagat Mutai, Kipruto arap Kirwa, and even President William Ruto—now the Head of State—embodied the strong political voice of the Kalenjin community.

Today, that fire appears to have dimmed. Since President Ruto assumed office, numerous politicians from the region have fallen silent, with several adopting a more compliant, even sycophantic, posture.

Some have blindly endorsed controversial government actions—including the use of force against anti-government protesters—while failing to champion meaningful development in their constituencies.

The likes of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Belgut MP Nelson Koech, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot, Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, and Emurua Dikir MP Johana Ngeno—once heralded as a fresh generation of leaders—struggle to measure up to the charisma and courage of their predecessors.

Previously vocal figures such as former Nandi MP Alfred Keter, former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, Kipruto Kirwa, Joshua Kutuny, Margerer Langat, Franklin Bett, and Zakayo Cheruiyot have either gone quiet or been sidelined.

Analysts argue that the turning point came when politicians perceived to be opposing Ruto’s presidential bid were systematically ostracised—labelled traitors, politically undermined, and eventually voted out in 2022.In their place, a new crop of leaders has reduced political discourse to personal attacks and public theatrics.

Routine events such as roadside stopovers, Sunday church visits, market meetings, and even funerals have devolved into spectacles of vulgarity and invective. Sexist and misogynistic language has become disturbingly commonplace.

One incident that sparked national outrage occurred during a rally in Narok County, where Bomet Woman Representative Linet Toto made a distasteful, sexually suggestive comment in support of President Ruto’s re-election bid. Responding to the opposition’s “one-term” mantra, she quipped: “Mwanaume kamili lazima aende round mbili.” 

In another instance, the President’s private aide, Farouk Kibet, made inappropriate sexual remarks about nominated MP Sabina Chege at a rally in Kwale.

Gender rights groups condemned the comments as symptomatic of entrenched patriarchal attitudes.

Prof Gitile Naituli, a political analyst, termed the trend of political indecency and blind executive loyalty as dangerous.

“The political class in the Rift Valley must do better. They must put the interests of the people first and step up to hold the executive to account—not behave like lapdogs,” he said.

In the South Rift— a cultural and political stronghold of the Kalenjin community—leadership dynamics have shifted.

Analysts cite the passing of influential figures such as Kones, Towett, and sisters Joyce and Lorna Laboso as symbolic of a fading era of unity, vision, and inclusive leadership.

Towett, remembered as a fiery critic of President Moi, was an intellectual and seasoned MP for Bureti. Kones was a dedicated grassroots organiser, while the Laboso sisters blazed trails for women in public office, embodying resilience and progressive leadership.

In the North Rift, former Nandi MP Alfred Keter stood out as one of the last remaining Kalenjin politicians to openly challenge the government. First elected under the United Republican Party (URP) in 2013 and re-elected via Jubilee in 2017, Keter boldly confronted both President Uhuru Kenyatta and then-Deputy President Ruto on critical issues affecting the community.

His defiance came at a cost. In 2022, the UDA nullified his nomination. He ran as an independent but ultimately lost his seat.

Exective lapdogs

Meanwhile, political cracks within the UDA party continue to expose rifts in the President’s inner circle.

Succession rivalries have emerged: Murkomen and Senator Samson Cherargei in the North Rift, and Aaron Cheruiyot versus Johana Ngeno in the South.

Kennedy Kipkorir, a resident of Rift Valley and vocal critic of the Ruto administration, criticised key leaders including Murkomen, Koech, Cheruiyot, and Sudi.

“It is shocking to see Kalenjin leaders becoming executive lapdogs. Many of them seem loyally foolish while pretending to be clever,” Kipkorir said.

He lamented that the focus on attacking former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had eclipsed real leadership. “They’re obsessed with Gachagua, instead of doing the jobs they were elected for.”

Ngeno’s recent political moves in Kericho sparked backlash from Cheruiyot, who accused him of overstepping his bounds. “There are many liars in politics. It reminds me of a book I once read: New Levels, New Devils,” Cheruiyot quipped. “Isn’t it wrong to leave your own jurisdiction and intrude into another leader’s turf just to spread lies?”

Still, Cheruiyot insisted he would not be drawn into what he termed “meaningless political contests.”

“I don’t wield as much power as people believe. I don’t appoint Cabinet Secretaries. My role is clearly defined in the Senate.”

On his part, Ngeno defended his influence, citing his installation as an elder of the Kipsigis community and his advocacy for Mau Forest evictees and victims of police brutality in Narok’s Angata Barikoi.

“Our voices in the South Rift have been suppressed for too long. It began with Dr Towett, Kones, and Isaac Ruto. We must develop a long-term strategy beyond 2027. Who knows—I might be a presidential candidate in 2032,” he declared.

But Belgut MP Nelson Koech dismissed such supremacy talk as misplaced. “What is this political bickering all about? We are in government. We should be leveraging that to deliver development,” he said. “If someone wants to be a kingpin, let him be king in his own backyard. The people want services, not sideshows.”

[Additional reporting by Nikko Tanui]