Gideon Moi and Ruto: Rift Valley reunion or political chess game?
By Faith Lagat, October 9, 2025The October 8, 2025, meeting between President William Ruto and former Baringo Senator Gideon Moi at State House has ignited a firestorm of speculation.
Photos released the next day showed the unlikely duo in light-hearted banter, strolling with Baringo County leaders like Gladwel Tungo.
Two men who once clashed over the Rift Valley “kingship” now appeared to bury old wounds.
Watch: Handshake coming? Ruto hosts Gideon Moi at Statehouse
But is this a genuine reunion or a calculated political move ahead of the Baringo senatorial by-election?
Meanwhile, thousands of KANU supporters waited in vain at Kabarnet Airstrip for Moi’s nomination filing, raising questions about strategy versus sentiment.
This comes days after the KANU party confirmed Moi’s candidature in a statement issued on Thursday, October 2, 2025, by Director of Communications Manasse Nyainda, following what it described as extensive consultations with members and the people of Baringo.
“The Kenya African National Union (KANU) wishes to formally announce that, following extensive consultations, deliberations, and consensus within the party and with the people of Baringo, our National Chairman, Hon. Gideon Moi, has been nominated as the party’s candidate for the forthcoming Baringo Senatorial by-election,” read the press release in part.
Legacy of rivalry
Understanding this encounter requires a look back at their fraught history. Ruto, the self-made hustler from Sugoi, often clashed with the Moi dynasty during his early political rise.
Even after clinching the KANU nomination in the 1990s, he endured public snubs from the late Daniel arap Moi.
Fast forward, and Gideon Moi, the last-born son of the former president, inherited this legacy.
A two-term senator (2013–2022), he lost to William Cheptumo in 2022 amid UDA’s Rift Valley dominance. Since then, he has maintained a low profile, surfacing occasionally to assert that he harbours “no animosity” toward Ruto but prioritises reconciliation with the people of Baringo.
His recent comeback bid after Cheptumo’s death has been marked by branded trucks and Ksh 2.5 million donations, signalling a calculated return.
By-election chessboard
The vacant senate seat pits Gideon’s KANU against UDA’s Vincent Kiprono Chemitei, who dominated the primaries. Ruto’s camp has mobilised fully, summoning all seven Baringo MPs to strategise.
Former KANU allies like Tiaty MP William Kamket and others now aligned with Kenya Kwanza highlight the shifting political terrain.
Independent candidates Benjamin Chebon and Daisy Jeptoo add unpredictability, but the main focus remains on Gideon versus UDA’s machinery.
Gideon’s State House meeting, combined with his absence at the IEBC offices, sparked speculation of backroom negotiations, possibly to secure KANU’s influence in 2027 or test Ruto’s commitment to Rift Valley unity.
Reunion or ruse?
The optics suggest warmth, but history warns of calculation. Ruto seeks to consolidate the Rift Valley ahead of 2027, while Gideon navigates a shrinking political base amid UDA dominance and Raila Odinga’s pivot.
His insistence that “the most important reconciliation is with Baringo people” hints at careful positioning rather than full capitulation.
Local leaders and voters, however, are watching closely, hoping for tangible benefits beyond political theatre.
Roads, development, and local projects matter more to constituents than symbolic handshakes. As Kamket quips, “the syllabus is moving too fast”, and indeed, the Baringo by-election could define Rift Valley politics for years to come.
In the end, whether this State House encounter is a genuine reconciliation or a strategic chess move remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: Baringo’s electorate will judge not just the handshakes but the results.