Ruto's unfulfilled promises behind Gideon Moi's exit in the Baringo by-election

President William Ruto is received at Kabarak Farm by Kanu National Chairman Gideon Moi on October 10, 2025. [File, Standard]

President William Ruto promised to complete stalled roads and dams in Baringo, build a stadium in Kabarnet, establish a university and bring Kanu into government when he reconciled with Gideon Moi in October 2025.

A year later, the political alliance has unravelled, raising questions about what was delivered after the former senator abandoned his bid to reclaim the Baringo Senate seat.

The agreement followed a State House meeting on October 8, 2025, where Ruto personally asked Moi to withdraw from the by-election. Kanu had announced Moi’s candidature barely a week earlier, making his sudden exit a significant political concession.

Two days later, during Ruto’s visit to the Moi family home in Kabarak, Nakuru County, the President publicly acknowledged that he had initiated the rapprochement.

“If there is any problem that will come up, blame it on me; I am the one who looked for Gideon,” Ruto told Kanu supporters, taking responsibility for the decision that kept Moi off the ballot.

The President framed the agreement as an appeal for national unity rather than a political transaction.

“I told him, please come, because the destiny of Kenya is far greater than what I can get or what Gideon can get,” he said.

Ruto said he had approached the former senator because the country needed leaders to set aside their differences and work together.

“I looked for Gideon because national cohesion is bigger than our differences,” he said.

He also invoked his previous political relationships to defend the reconciliation, saying he had spoken to former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the late opposition leader Raila Odinga about the need to move the country forward.

“I have also sat down with my predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, and explained to him that we need to move this country to the next level,” Ruto said.

But the most immediate commitments concerned Baringo, where Moi said unfinished development projects had informed his decision to seek another Senate term.

The former senator cited stalled roads and dams, saying Ruto had promised to take responsibility for completing them.

“When I told him so, he told me, ‘I will take it upon myself to do it.’ Since he is the head of state and he gave me that promise, I accepted to step down,” Moi said.

Ruto subsequently announced plans to construct and maintain major roads in Baringo, build a stadium in Kabarnet and establish a university in honour of the late President Daniel arap Moi.

The projects became a central part of the political understanding, offering residents the prospect of development in exchange for a truce between two influential political families.

Their implementation, however, is far from materialising.

Ruto’s promises also extended to Kanu itself. He called for a formal arrangement between the party and his United Democratic Alliance (UDA), suggesting that the partnership would give Kanu a role in government.

“I urge you, as the esteemed members of the founding party of our nation, to accept our collaboration.We need to formalise our engagement between Kanu and UDA so that you can be a part of the government of Kenya,” Ruto said.

Ruto insisted the deal was about national progress rather than individual political gain.

“This is not about who wins or who loses; it is about Kenya. Working with all leaders, from every region, we can achieve the promise of our nation,” he said.

In another account of the negotiations, Ruto said he had personally appealed to Moi to step aside.

“I called my brother Gideon and told him he’s my age mate. I asked him respectfully, and in turn, he respected me and said that we should unite and allow the youth to carry on with this work while we plan ahead,” he said.

For Ruto, Moi’s withdrawal removed a potential challenger in Baringo and strengthened his efforts to consolidate support in the Rift Valley ahead of the 2027 General Election. For Kanu, the proposed arrangement raised expectations of appointments and a greater role in national decision-making.

But the reconciliation proved short-lived. By October 2026, questions over the terms of the understanding and disquiet within Kanu over unfulfilled expectations had placed the relationship under renewed scrutiny.

The breakdown has left two questions hanging over the handshake: whether Baringo residents will see the promised infrastructure delivered, and whether Kanu gained meaningful political influence from its cooperation with the President.

Ruto secured an immediate political benefit when Moi withdrew from the race. Whether the development commitments and proposed partnership justified that concession remains a question of delivery, not rhetoric.