Deputy President William Ruto has for the first time disclosed the genesis of the perceived bad blood between him and the departed President Daniel arap Moi.
Ruto admitted there was friction between him and the former President and that this has spilled over to his relationship with Senator Gideon Moi.
There is no love lost between Gideon and Ruto.
According to the DP, the cordial relationship with his political mentor came to an abrupt end in 2005 when he made public his intention to run for the country’s top seat.
That was the genesis of the bad blood with his mentor, Ruto told Citizen television on Thursday night. The strained relationship continued until Moi’s death last Tuesday.
“A small problem developed between me and Moi in 2005. We had a meeting in Eldama Ravine and I declared that I was going to run for the President,” Ruto said.
That – according to Ruto – did not sit well with Moi who had a different community succession plan.
Henceforth, Ruto and 14 others who were at Eldama Ravine, were blocked from accessing Moi’s Kabarak home. Guards manning the gate told them in no uncertain terms that Moi was not interested in meeting them.
“Whenever we were around, we would pass by to have tea with Mzee and say hello. This time around we found the gate closed and we were told Mzee has said ‘he doesn’t want to see you’,” Ruto recalled.
The late President thereafter took him on, scathingly declaring Ruto's intention to run for the presidency as premature.
In Moi’s community succession plan, it was either former Cabinet Secretary Henry Kosgey or the late Nicholas Biwott, a former powerful minister. He considered them experienced enough to take over the community’s leadership.
“He (Moi) issued a scathing statement against my announcement, castigating my candidature ... that I was not serious and that I was misleading the community.”
“I remember subsequently, he (Moi) said Ruto cannot be the person the community should choose. He preferred seasoned leaders like Kosgey and Biwott.”
As if that was not enough, some individuals were sent to his Eldoret North constituency to dissuade people from backing his candidature.
