A video clip that has gone viral on social media has elicited political uproar in the Rift Valley.
In the video, Soy MP Caleb Kositany is heard hitting out at his Nandi Hills counterpart Alfred Keter and asking voters to reject him because he is not a Nandi.
Mr Kositany, a close ally of Deputy President William Ruto, in the undated video, told a congregation that Mr Keter is from the Kipsigis community and not a Nandi and should be voted out.
He claimed that Mr Keter had become a thorn in the flesh in Dr Ruto’s Rift Valley backyard. He says the Nandi Hills MP has previously criticised the DP and should be taught a political lesson by being voted out for disloyalty.
Manners
“Had he been a Nandi, I would have told our elders to summon him and teach him some manners….but since he is a Kipsigis, which he is if you did not know…,” said Mr Kositany in one of the campaign trails.
“I am asking his Kipsigis kinsmen to come for him…teach him how to be a good-mannered person,” said Mr Kositany, who spoke in vernacular.
The remarks by Mr Kositany emerged when he teamed up with Nandi Governor Stephen Sang and Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi to campaign against Mr Keter in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) primaries.
Mr Kositany’s remarks have put the DP in an awkward position in relation with members of the Kipsigis community, the most populous Kalenjin sub tribe.
On Monday, Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and former Roads Minister and State House Comptroller Franklin Bett weighed in on the divisive matter and asked Mr Kositany to withdraw his remarks.
Public discourse
“The ongoing public discourse on the unfortunate remarks by Soy MP Caleb Kositany, with respect to the Kipsigis community should remind each of us that words, in the principle of purpose and effect, can have adverse effects on the general unity,” Prof Barchok wrote on his official twitter account.
Prof Barchok said whereas the unfortunate remark was made in the past, “it gives a fertile opportunity to our detractors to plant seeds of discord amongst our Kalenjin family. We must all endeavour to always jealously guard our unity.”
Mr Bett, a former Bureti MP who previously served as High Commissioner to Australia, said the Soy legislator should apologise.
“I have seen a statement attributed to Governor Barchok. It’s a good one and I wish to associate with it. It must, however, be not construed to imply that leaders can make disparaging, past or recently, comments about others without the consequences of redemption or apology!” Mr Bett wrote in his Twitter handle.
According to the 2019 census, the Kipsigis sub-tribe were 1.972 million, making them the most populous of the Kalenjin sub tribe.
This number was more than double that of the Nandi sub tribe, who came second at a total of 885,711 people.
Presidential candidates have always sought to secure the support of the Kipsigis community who provide the swing vote in the election.
Whereas they are traditionally from Kericho and Bomet, the community members have settled in Narok, Nakuru, Baringo, Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia and Laikipia counties.
Mr Keter joined UDA early this year in a surprise move, even as it was clear that he was not in the Deputy President’s good books.
Interestingly, the clip has surfaced after Mr Keter won the UDA primaries, but the results were overturned following a petition by his main challenger Mr Benard Kitur.
In the poll, Mr Keter garnered 10,273 while Mr Kitur got 7,468 while Mr Robert Chepkwony had 2,513,Ms Irene Chemutai, (388), Mr George Tarus 425 and Abraham Limo (540).
Party tribunal members Collins Kiprono, Mary Mungai, and Adrian Kamotho Njenga who are members of the UDA party tribunal said Mr Keter had demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the nomination process was marred with irregularities.
“A declaration is hereby issued that the decision of the returning officer declaring first respondent as the presumptive nominee for the position of MP Nandi Hills MP, is null and void,” the tribunal members said in a verdict.
At the same time, Dr Ruto has for a long time carried the tag of being a Kipsigis and he has repeatedly insinuated this during rallies in Kericho County.
But Mr Kositany’s move to disparage members of the community has rattled the DP’s political base with a few months to the election.
Mr Kositany, a first term MP was beaten by Mr Jonathan Bii in the Uasin Gishu UDA gubernatorial primaries, despite the legislator being among the politicians in the Deputy President’s inner circle.
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