This archive report was first published on 12 June 2020.
June 12, 2020, marked a significant day for Deputy President William Ruto as Kalenjin elders publicly denounced him for his alleged neglect of the community.
According to the elders, Ruto has spent the past eight years focusing on his presidential ambitions, leaving the Kalenjin community behind.
"He spent his 8 years going in Mt. Kenya. When things were good for him, he never came to us. He took his money to Mt. Kenya people," said a Kalenjin elder, as quoted by Mr. Kinuthia Pius on Twitter.
The elders further claimed that Ruto has only realized the importance of the Kalenjin community after his 2022 campaign vehicle was punctured.
They also accused Ruto of causing divisions within the community by creating camps to undermine other leaders for his own selfish interests.
"We fail to understand why Dr. Ruto has in the past sidelined local leaders and elders and created preferred cliques to advance his State House agenda but has been quick to seek community blessings now that he is facing a storm in the ruling Jubilee Party," said Keiyo elder Yusuf Keitany, as quoted by the Daily Nation.
