Political analysts suggest that Gideon’s decision to reconcile with Ruto may be motivated by a blend of political strategy and business pragmatism. The move could protect the Moi family’s vast business interests, notably those tied to The Standard Group, which is reportedly owed nearly Ksh 1 billion by the Government Advertising Agency (GAA), a debt that has deepened the media house’s financial troubles
By The Weekly Vision Political Desk
President William Ruto’s meeting with KANU chairman Gideon Moi at State House, Nairobi, on Wednesday, 9th October, has effectively neutralised opposition in the vast Rift Valley region, where the president is keen to consolidate his political base ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The move is seen as a strategic masterstroke for the president, who faces the risk of losing a substantial portion of the 3.3 million votes he garnered in the Mt Kenya region in 2022, following his bitter fallout with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The decision by former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party to back ex-Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i for the presidency could further complicate political dynamics, particularly if Matiang’i becomes the united opposition’s flagbearer, running mate, or if Jubilee opts to go solo.
During the State House talks, sources indicate that Ruto and Gideon discussed the possibility of KANU withdrawing from the forthcoming Baringo senatorial by-election, scheduled for 27th November, in support of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate, 31-year-old Kiprono Chemitei.
Chemitei won the UDA ticket after securing 48,791 votes in the party primaries held on 21st September, defeating eight other contenders.
A day after the meeting, on Thursday, 10th October, President Ruto hosted Chemitei and other UDA parliamentary candidates, David Ndakwa (Malava), Muriuki Muthende (Mbeere North), and Ahmed Maalim Hassan (Banisa), at State House, Nairobi. The event appeared to dispel rumours that the president was considering backing Gideon’s candidate in return for his political support ahead of 2027.
However, it has since emerged that Gideon Moi could be eyeing a state appointment alongside other senior KANU figures as part of the president’s broad-based government, which already includes several luminaries from Raila Odinga’s ODM serving in key positions, including the Cabinet.
Although not a political appointee, former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, once a fierce critic of the president, has since exited active politics after joining the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), where he now serves as vice-chairman.
If Gideon ultimately decides to work politically with Ruto, it will mark a dramatic shift in a relationship long defined by mutual suspicion and political rivalry.
Ruto was mentored by Gideon’s father, the late President Daniel arap Moi, before being elected MP for Eldoret North in 1997 and later serving as a minister in Moi’s government. Their relationship soured after Ruto led a rebellion that saw KANU lose much of its political grip in the Rift Valley in the 2007 elections, as he backed the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) under Raila Odinga.
Relations between Ruto and the Moi family deteriorated further in the years that followed. In 2018, Ruto was reportedly barred from visiting the ailing former president at his Kabarak home. Later, in February 2020, when Moi passed away, Ruto, then Deputy President, was also denied access to the body at Lee Funeral Home, despite having addressed the nation earlier that day, describing Moi as his mentor.
In July this year, a video clip surfaced online showing Gideon Moi purportedly expressing support for President Ruto’s government. KANU swiftly dismissed the clip as misleading, insisting that it was recorded in 2021 during the funeral of Hosea Kiplagat and had been deliberately taken out of context.
“Our attention has been drawn to a misleading video clip that has resurfaced on social media, falsely suggesting that Hon. Gideon Moi is currently aligning himself with the current regime. We wish to clarify that Hon. Gideon Moi has neither the desire nor the inclination to support this regime,” the party stated at the time.
Political analysts now suggest that Gideon’s decision to reconcile with Ruto may be driven by both political and business considerations. It could safeguard the Moi family’s extensive business interests, including those linked to The Standard Group, which is reportedly owed nearly Ksh 1 billion by the Government Advertising Agency (GAA), a debt that has contributed to the media company’s financial woes.
“For us, it is a good thing. We don’t care what political direction he takes as long as we finally get paid our severance dues and salary arrears that have been pending for nearly two years. We have suffered enough,” a former editor retrenched last August told The Weekly Vision.
Separately, Gideon is said to be entangled in a legal dispute with the Kenya Railways Corporation over the sale of prime beach plots in Mombasa owned by his clearing and forwarding firm, Kencont Logistics Services Ltd.
Sources familiar with both camps reveal that intermediaries have for months been quietly working to broker a truce between the two Rift Valley political heavyweights, an effort that now appears to have borne fruit.
As the 2027 election draws closer, Ruto’s rapprochement with Gideon Moi underscores the old adage that in politics, there are no permanent enemies, only shifting interests and evolving alliances.
