Cheruiyot leaps from varsity activism to national politics

After Aaron Cheruiyot won the hotly contested Kericho by-election, he stood up to pick his certificate with wife Linah in tow—a statement meant to silence critics who painted him as an unmarried, political greenhorn.

“People called us rookies, jokers and all sorts of names, but just look at what God has done for us this morning,” he said.

‘‘Senator Kiptoiyot’’, meaning youthful Senator, as he is known by his supporters, beat seasoned politicians, becoming the youngest senator at 29.

For many young political enthusiasts, the Sunday school teacher at Africa Gospel Church blazed a path that they could follow.

When Mr Cheruiyot announced his intention to run for the seat late last year, he caused no ripples. In fact, the other aspirants shrugged him off as a joker in the race.

But as the campaign rolled on, it seemed that with each passing day, the political clout of the Moi University graduate of Media and Literary Studies was growing by the tone of debate on social media and public places where his message of generational change in politics hit home hard.

More fundamentally, he also had a team of young unseasoned campaigners.

His message of ‘‘it is time for youth’’ resonated with the many young people of Kericho, who make up the biggest number of voters— a generation which resents their lack of economic opportunity despite fertile land, adequate rains and natural resources.

The man whose role models are Martin Luther King and late Bishop Alexander Muge says he joined politics to help turn Kericho into a county where the youth are at par with the old people.

Last December, weeks after Charles Keter had been nominated to the Energy cabinet docket, Mr Cheruiyot called his friend, a former classmate at Kericho High School.

“I believe that this vacancy has created an opportunity for young people to take leadership. I am going to run for the seat. What do you think?” he asked.

His friend, just like many sceptics, wondered how this practically unknown young man, with business interests in Nairobi could possibly beat the seasoned, political giants with entrenched roots in Kericho.

But his friend who calls Mr Cheruiyot, ‘‘G.I’’ a nickname he earned when he joined Kericho High School in 2001 for his love for the late Jamaican reggae icon Gregory Isaacs, did not thwart his dream—however far-fetched it seemed.

"Give it a try," he said.

Had he told him that he was deemed to fail, Mr Cheruiyot, an ardent Arsenal fan, known to fight for whatever he believes in, even as a lone fighter, would have entered the race.

Mr Cheruiyot was determined to battle it out with Franklin Bett, former Roads minister, Magerer Langat, former Orange Democratic Party (ODM) executive director and Sammy Chepkwony, the former National Housing Corporation chairman who wanted to run for the seat on a Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) ticket.

The little-known man beat them in the JAP nomination exercise held on January 17. That was three months ago.

Mr Cheruiyot who hails from Belgut Constituency in Kericho became the first Senator to be elected under the Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP)— a party that ran into political headwinds in the Rift Valley after its formation.

On Tuesday March 8, he was declared the winner of the hotly contested seat after garnering 109,358 votes against Kanu’s candidate Paul Sang who came second with 56,307 votes.

He dismissed allegations of vote-rigging in his favour, saying Kanu is trying to justify its huge spending during the campaigns.

“They did not do campaigns properly. The voting was above board,’’ he said.

After pocketing the JAP nomination certificate, an elated Mr Cheruiyot recalled the simple beginnings of his Senate campaign and rained praises on his team of young campaigners who rolled out an elaborate operation to introduce him to a voter base which had never heard his name.

“When the seat fell vacant, I contacted a few friends and we agreed that I would give it a chance and that we would give it the best shot of our lives. Little did I know that it would pay off so quickly,” he said.

Mr Cheruiyot has leaped from university activism to national politics. As a student at Moi University in 2010, he says he became fed up with what he felt was high fare of Sh140 that students were being charged by Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) which plied the Moi University-Eldoret Town route.

He marshalled the students to take part in demonstrations which eventually bore fruit when the route was opened up to more PSVs, bringing down the cost of transport to Sh50. But for that, he earned himself a one-year suspension.

He graduated in May 2012.

When he was 26 years old, he took a bold decision and resigned from his marketing job at Radio Africa after less than a year in employment to go into business.

Mr Cheruiyot launched Africana Safaris, a tour and travel company.

Two years later, he founded Top Image Cleaning Services, a company which provides professional cleaning services. It has employed 700 workers, whose average age, he says, is 27. But the man seen as the voice of the youth expects no magic stick to ward off their unemployment problems.

“While I will push for more funds to the counties, I am under no illusion that only that will turn the tide. We have to equip young people with enterprise skills and teach them how to scale it up. I have done it before, not once or twice, but many times because I believe they too can do it,” he said.

He says he has great plans for women who he notes make great managers but need assistance to turn into thriving entrepreneurs. And for musicians and visual artists, he has pledged to help them get a market for literal works.
Will he ditch his role in church?

“I will continue to serve as a Sunday school teacher because that is a service to God and being Senator is a service to humanity,” he said.

Additional reporting by Anita Chepkoech