Gideon Moi Apologises to Baringo Residents Over 2025 Senate By-Election Withdrawal

KANU chairman Gideon Moi has apologised to residents of Baringo County for withdrawing from the 2025 Senate by-election, breaking his silence on his failed political truce with President William Ruto.

Speaking at his Kabarak home in Nakuru on Friday, October 23, 2026, Gideon appeared to express regret over the decision to step aside, detailing a series of grievances that he said had accumulated since his reconciliation with the President.

According to The Standard, Gideon addressed KANU officials and opinion leaders, recounting what he described as broken promises, personal insults, the abduction of a staff member and the alleged forceful occupation of property belonging to his family.

His remarks signalled a possible end to the brief political rapprochement between the two leaders, whose relationship had been marked by years of rivalry.

Gideon’s 2025 Senate by-election withdrawal

Gideon made a significant political concession on October 9, 2025, when he withdrew from the race to reclaim the Baringo Senate seat he held between 2013 and 2022.

He lost the seat to United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate William Cheptumo in the 2022 General Election.

Cheptumo’s death in February 2025 triggered the subsequent by-election, which was scheduled for November 27 that year.

Gideon’s withdrawal paved the way for the ruling UDA candidate to face no major challenge from his main rival in the contest.

The decision followed meetings between Gideon and Ruto, including one at State House in Nairobi and another at Kabarak on October 10, 2025.

The engagements were widely interpreted as marking the end of years of political hostility between the two leaders. There was also speculation that Gideon could join Ruto’s administration in a senior position following the rapprochement.

However, the reconciliation would later unravel, leaving questions about the commitments made during the negotiations.

Standard Group dispute fuels fallout

The relationship deteriorated further in mid-2026 following a public dispute over the Standard Group, the media company associated with Gideon and the Moi family.

On June 24, 2026, Ruto took to X, accusing the media house of using negative coverage to pressure his administration and identifying Gideon as its owner.

“Blackmail to yield to your greed? Never,” the President wrote.

Days later, Ruto intensified his criticism, accusing Gideon of sustaining what he described as “extortion gangsterism driven by greed” through “unpaid labour slaving.”

The Standard Group denied the blackmail allegations and said the government owed it KSh1.2 billion.

Gideon, who had not publicly responded to the accusations at the time, told the Kabarak gathering that he believed Ruto was using the media house’s editorial independence as a pretext to attack him personally.

He also clarified that the Moi family was not the only shareholder in the Standard Group, challenging the suggestion that the family’s interests and the media company’s editorial decisions should be treated as one and the same.

The dispute further widened the rift between the two political figures, casting doubt on the durability of their earlier reconciliation.

Gideon raises concerns over family property in Eldoret

During the meeting, Gideon also raised concerns about what he described as the forceful occupation of a five-acre piece of family-owned land in Eldoret.

According to the account presented by the family’s lawyer, armed police officers moved onto the property without serving an eviction notice. The family reportedly holds title to the land dating back to 1996.

The circumstances surrounding the alleged occupation have added another dimension to Gideon’s grievances against the government.

His comments came as he reflected on the events that followed his decision to withdraw from the Baringo Senate race, suggesting that the political understanding reached with Ruto had not delivered the outcome he expected.

KANU’s direction ahead of the 2027 elections

Gideon indicated that he intends to pursue an independent political direction ahead of the 2027 General Election, signalling that KANU may no longer align itself with Ruto’s political camp.

However, he did not disclose which political alliance the party would support or whether he plans to seek an elective seat in the next election.

His remarks are likely to renew interest in KANU’s role in the emerging political landscape as parties and leaders begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 polls.

Gideon’s apology to Baringo residents also places renewed attention on the political cost of his 2025 withdrawal, which removed a prominent challenger from the Senate contest and was widely viewed as part of a broader agreement with the President.