And that is why tensions have risen and political temperatures in the country are recording new highs shortly after the president's visit to Rift Valley.
Retired president Moi hailed from the community and understood his people rather well. And that was the only reason why he got out of a very tight situation during the last elections he participated in for the presidency in 1997. Most Kenyans do not know it but there was such strong bitterness and opposition against Moi (most notably from the Nandi sub-tribe of the Kalenjin) that Mwai Kibaki's campaign team in the Rift Valley at one point recorded that massive votes for Kibaki could be forthcoming from the province. Things got so bad at one point that Moi was being openly booed and shouted down when he tried to campaign in certain areas of the vast vote-rich and constituency-rich province. Kibaki in sharp contrast was being wildly cheered.
Moi handlers were desperate and only won the day on voting day by telling the Kalenjins the only thing at the time that would make them see red. They told the people that Moi had resigned himself to losing to a Kikuyu who would jail him (and maybe even hang him) alongside ALL prominent Kalenjins (including the popular ones amongst the people) and the suppression of the Kalenjin even in the Rift Valley would be unbearable. That worked and the community trooped to polling stations on voting day to vote Moi albeit grudgingly. Incidentally the same strategy was attempted in 2007 with the circulation of posters depicting Kalenjin leaders lining up to be hanged by Raila (assuming he won the presidency). It did not work. One would have to be very lucky to use the same trick successfully on the crafty Kalenjins.
But back to the current woes deep within JUBILEE. What started out as a clever strategy by URP to keep Ruto relevant has suddenly and unexpectedly taken a new dangerous turn after the President's unsuccessful tour of the Rift Valley. Somebody somewhere seems to have taken some salt and rubbed it on old wounds of the folks in Rift Valley and now even former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's name has emerged with talk about a major fertilizer contract linked to a Raila company that should have gone to URP people instead.
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