Arap Kirwa: I was disappointed to see Gideon Moi with Ruto at State House
By Cynthia Lodite, October 13, 2025Former Agriculture Cabinet Minister Kipruto Arap Kirwa has come out expressing his disappointment with President William Ruto’s meeting with former Baringo County Senator Gideon Moi at State House, Nairobi.
The former CS argued that Ruto should have allowed Gideon to take up the Senate position in Baringo instead of meddling with the choices of the Baringo County people.
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Kirwa made his remarks on Monday, October 13, 2025, during an interview with a local media house, where he expressed his disappointment while stating that Ruto’s recent encounter with Gideon is set to derail his political career.
“I was not only shocked but also disappointed to see Gideon Moi with Ruto at State House,” Kirwa said.
In addition, Kirwa, while disputing Ruto’s decision to stop Gideon Moi from vying for the Baringo Senatorial race, insisted that he instead should have had a conversation with him, allowed Gideon to run for the Senate position in Baringo, and wooed his party to Kenya Kwanza.
“If President Ruto were an honest person, he would have had a conversation with him, allowed Gideon to run for the Senate position in Baringo, and wooed his party to Kenya Kwanza. Instead, he is dismantling his political career,” Kirwa said.
Gideon Moi backs out of Baringo race
Kirwa’s remarks come after the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party’s National Chairman, Gideon Moi, who recently withdrew from the Baringo Senatorial race in the forthcoming by-elections, held a series of meetings with President William Ruto.
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Ruto announced a move to bring Gideon Moi on board during a meeting held at the State House in Nairobi.
At the time, Ruto revealed the reasons behind his recent handshake with former Baringo Senator and KANU party leader Gideon Moi, describing the move as a strategic effort to unify leadership and accelerate Kenya’s development.
The handshake followed a meeting at State House on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, attended by a group of leaders from Baringo County.
The meeting, confirmed through photos and footage released by the State House on Thursday, October 9, showed Ruto and Gideon sharing a light moment as they walked towards the meeting area.
The timing of the encounter raised eyebrows, as thousands of KANU supporters had gathered at Kabarnet Airstrip earlier that day, hoping to accompany Moi to the IEBC offices for clearance to contest in the upcoming Baringo senatorial by-election.
Many were left disappointed when he did not appear at the nomination offices between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm, forcing supporters to return home on foot.
Speaking about the handshake on Friday, October 10, 2025, Ruto explained that his engagement with Gideon was motivated by the need to build on historical foundations laid by KANU and to tackle ongoing challenges, particularly in the health sector.
He highlighted past efforts under former President Moi and President Mwai Kibaki, noting that attempts at universal health coverage under Jubilee had not succeeded.
“I am sharing this because I want to take you back to the origins of KANU and the foundation that was laid. We also agreed that we need to address the challenges in the health sector. You know what former President Moi did with the Nyayo wards in hospitals, and you know what President Mwai Kibaki tried with universal health coverage, but we did not succeed. We also attempted universal health coverage under Jubilee and did not succeed. Today, because we wanted to build on this legacy, we rolled out universal health coverage,” Ruto stated.