CS Florence Bore, MP Muriu Karen house deal turning into scandal

The controversial multi-million shilling house deal between Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore and Gatanga MP Edward Muriu is fast turning into a potential scandal.

The two are political allies of President William Ruto. While Ms Bore is in President Ruto's cabinet, Mr Muriu is the legal affairs secretary of the President's ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.

On Sunday, Ms Bore, who declared her net worth as Sh200 million during her vetting by Parliament, insinuated that the MP was either trying to swindle her or withdraw from a pre-agreed contract term.
 

Although she did not give details of the price the two had agreed on, Mr Muriu, through his wife Maria, had on Sunday revealed that the CS had made an offer of Sh90 million while the least amount the MP could accept for the house in Nairobi’s Karen estate was Sh120 million.

In a press statement issued by the CS on Sunday afternoon, she accused the Murius of dishonesty after they said there was no signed sale agreement.
 She said she had entered into a binding agreement with Mr Muriu and that the transaction would be completed in 90 days.

Sale agreement

“I entered into an agreement to purchase the property at the negotiated and agreed purchase price. I signed my part of the agreement for sale and transmitted the agreement through my lawyers to the vendor's lawyers for signing on their part,” CS Bore said.

She hinted that she had given the MP a deposit as she pursued a mortgage facility to offset the balance.

“We agreed that I take occupation of the house while I retreated to seek a mortgage facility for the balance, which I expected to obtain within the agreed transaction period of 90 days,”
In less than 30 days, Ms Bore says Mr Muriu and his wife, accompanied by thugs, attempted to evict her family from the facility while she was out of the country.

“Unfortunately, in less than 30 days of the agreement, Mr Muriu and his wife attempted to unlawfully evict my children from the house while I was out of the country," she said.

She added that the couple was accompanied by armed thugs. However, Mr Muriu dismissed the CS's allegations.

“The unsigned statement from the CS that is full of generalities has provoked my response. I owe... members...facts of this matter, get the side of my story so that you can make a well-considered opinion," the MP said.

He accused Ms Bore of using her position to occupy her house.  
Mr Mruriu who is a lawyer and a first time MP, accused the CS of abuse of office. 

"I have never signed a sale agreement with CS Bore and if she has one, let her table it. Deposit is paid after signing the sale agreement. Let her table the payment receipt," he said.

Clean house

He said a signed sale agreement expresses the meeting of the minds of both the seller and the buyer and in its absence, any expression outside of it falls into the abyss.

Mr Muriu alleged that the CS had broken into his house and moved in with her family without his knowledge or consent.  

"We were shocked on June 14 when our staff reported to clean the house and cut the grass only to find it occupied," the legislator said.

He reiterated that the CS never called or wrote to him since she occupied the house.
"This is the genesis of anarchy and lawlessness when officers take the law into their own hands, criminally seize private property and use state machinery to continue their occupation," he said.
 
He denied receiving any money from the CS.

“I am not selling the house, nor am I renting it. It is only fair and reasonable for the CS to vacate my house immediately," he added.

 But Ms Bore, who is a former Kericho County woman representative, accused Mr Muriu of playing negative comradeship.

 "For a fellow leader to take advantage of my absence from the country to launch a hate campaign against me instead of waiting to engage me on my return is not only queer but baffling," she said.

 She described the conflict as "dramatised and sensationalised allegations fabricated to unlawfully make her withdraw from the agreement, allegedly because they have found a better deal".

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