After days of endless speculation, the backstory of the dreadful breakup between KANU Chairman Gideon Moi and his party’s Secretary General Nick Salat has finally been revealed.
Reliable sources have pinned down the widening cracks in the diminished former ruling party to an alleged secret late-night meeting between Salat and President William Ruto, where a host of political issues were discussed; including strategies to frustrate Moi’s ambition to run for the presidency in 2027.
Word has been going around that Salat’s pockets have recently run dry after his party leader stopped funding his lavish lifestyle following the defeat of the Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga in the August polls.
It is understood that Ruto had initially tried to reach out to the former Baringo senator, but he declined the offer.
When the ostensibly broke Salat heard the news, he opted to accept the proposition in his best interests, to the dismay of his boss.
According to insiders within the KANU camp, Moi’s calculation is that Ruto will lose popularity countrywide, including Kalenjinland, where he has rubbed the community the wrong way by allowing the importation of GMO maize.
Many Kalenjins are maize farmers and have frowned at the move to import the commodity.
But as things now stand, Ruto has struck first by enticing Salat, who reportedly agreed to lead members of the party in striking an alliance with Kenya Kwanza and isolate the Chairman.
Last week, Salat, on leaving KANU, fired back at Gideon, stating they targeted him for removal as Kanu secretary general for calling out the party chairman for running down the independence party.
Gideon suspended the long-serving secretary general for alleged misconduct and violation of the party’s constitution, culminating in months of boardroom wars between the two top officials.
Gideon accused Salat of having clandestine plans to auction the party to Kenya Kwanza, but Salat rejected the suspension as illegal as he revealed that members have targeted him for telling off Gideon about running down the party. “We cannot worship an individual at the expense of the party. We cannot worship him. We can’t,” he said.
Salat lamented that the party’s fortunes had been diminishing since Gideon took over the leadership mantle. “Small parties are coming up, winning seats and the presidency, but for us, we are stuck because of an individual. I told him off, and that is why he is suspending me,” he said. “In 2017, we had 11 MPs, now we have six. We had 64 MCAs, but now we have 30. We have no governor. And even the few who were elected won were not helped by the party,” he added. “Why are we glorifying him and we are not helping the party?” he posed.
The party ruled for 24 years when Gideon’s father was the president and as the party boss.
Salat said Gideon and the National Executive Council had no authority to discipline or suspend him.
According to Salat, Gideon, alongside him and other party officials were installed as interim officials by the national delegates’ conference in 2012, pending elections.
The elections, he said, have never been conducted to confirm them as officials with full authority and mandate to suspend an official of the party.
Last November, Salat was at loggerheads with Gideon after the party boss submitted to parliament an application for the East African Legislative Assembly, a move Salat alleged was selfish.
Salat had also forwarded his name for consideration for nomination for EALA on the KANU ticket, triggering a political standoff with Gideon who later pulled out.
Salat claimed the chairman has personalized the once vibrant party that has since lost its glory.
But Gideon and Salat missed out on the Azimio list of 12 that was submitted to parliament.
The former Bomet East MP came out with guns blazing a day after Azimio released a list in which KANU nominees were missing, questioning the motive behind the move by the chairman to withdraw his name.
This was the first time Salat publicly challenged Gideon since the two took over the control of the oldest political party