Nandi Talai elders gained particular notability during the 2022 Kenyan general elections when a blessing ritual they performed on then Deputy President William Ruto gained symbolism as an act perceived as bestowing not just community leadership but also future national leadership.
[1][2] Much was made in the commentary surrounding the event of the fact that Nandi Talai elders had performed similar blessing rituals for the late Kenyan Presidents Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and even the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga before they ascended to national leadership positions.
The family later gave rise to the Kipsigis Orkoinotet which was established by Kipeles Arap Kipchomber, son of Kimnyole.
[6] In 2022 a group of more than 100,000 Kenyans from the Kipsigis Talai clan wrote to Prince William to seek an apology, and his support for reparations for human rights abuses they claimed that they suffered during the British colonial settlement.
A UN inquiry from 2021 had determined that gross human rights violations were committed particularly against the clan, including unlawful killing, sexual violence, torture, and arbitrary detention and displacement.