KANU chairman Gideon Moi has accused President William Ruto of failing to honour the political deal that saw him withdraw from last year's Baringo senatorial by-election, and has asked his supporters to release him to take a different political path ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Addressing Kalenjin elders and opinion leaders at his Kabarak home in Nakuru County on Friday, 23 October, the former Baringo senator apologised to residents for trusting the President's promises, The Daily Nation and Pulse Kenya reported. The Standard described the once highly publicised truce between the two leaders as having collapsed.

A year of waiting

Ruto flew to Kabarak in October 2025 to announce a pact with Moi and KANU delegates. Moi then pulled out of the Baringo by-election, clearing the way for UDA's Vincent Kiprono Chemitei, who won the seat in November 2025. At the time, Ruto publicly said he had personally asked Moi to step aside. "I am the one who went looking for Gideon, and I pleaded with him, because the destiny of this country is far greater than what I and any other leader can get," the President said then, according to The Star.

Moi told the elders that after Raila Odinga's death in October 2025, he was asked to be patient as the deal was implemented. "Then we got to December, then Easter. I waited, I followed up…" he said, according to the Nation.

The Standard reported that his withdrawal had been linked to promises of development projects in the region, while Pulse Kenya noted it was framed as part of a wider arrangement to bring KANU closer to UDA. Moi said he had sought nothing for himself, only jobs for professionals and consideration for Baringo. Recalling a meeting with the President at State House, he said: "During the discussion, I made sure that in everything, I remained silent and let those professionals talk."

Claims of harassment

Moi also accused allies of the President of hostility towards his family. He alleged that Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi landed helicopters at Kabarak Farm under armed escort during a funeral, and claimed that Standard Group associate editor Alex Kiprotich Chepkoit had been abducted, tortured and dumped at Masinga Dam. He said he had also come under attack through the Standard Group, in which he is a shareholder.

These allegations are Moi's own. Neither the President, UDA, Murkomen nor Sudi had been reported responding to them by the time of publication.

Moi described the attacks on him as "sideshows" and said he holds no personal grudge against Ruto, whom he still respects as head of state. He asked the people of Baringo for prayers and forgiveness, and said the move was meant to "preserve our name and our people." He did not name a new party, alliance or presidential candidate he would back.

What it means for 2027

The fallout reopens a long-running rivalry in the Rift Valley, where Ruto and the Moi family have competed for influence since the late President Daniel arap Moi's era. Moi's return to an independent stance comes as opposition leaders, including Rigathi Gachagua, Kalonzo Musyoka and Edwin Sifuna, step up talks on a joint front against the President.

It also comes as the Moi family and the Komen family line up candidates to reclaim the Rongai parliamentary seat from UDA, setting up an early test of KANU's strength in Nakuru.

Whether KANU now formally joins the opposition, or Moi seeks to bargain from outside both camps, is likely to shape the contest for votes in Baringo and parts of the Rift Valley that UDA has dominated since 2022.

Photos: The Standard, Kenyans.co.ke