I see that the Raleigh with gears also has a suspension fork and the Kona rigid steel bike is a single speed.
Raleigh XXIX+G
So whatever point it is you are trying to make about the rarity of bikes of this configuration, I'll concede it.
But I am not at all surprised to see GT making such a variation of their Peace 9er. You'll probably start seeing more variations of these bikes available from more sources as 29ers become more and more mainstream. Many people who have traditionally bought these kinds of bikes are tinkerers who are likely to configure the bike many different ways for different purposes or on a whim. It's a small step to offer one with gears to appeal to a different group of potential buyers.