Bring it on! Murkomen takes on his political foes
Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.
What you need to know:
- Murkomen appears to have taken the gloves off, rolled up his shirt sleeves and decided to enter the ring for a duel with the leaders.
- Murkomen has said he will soon tour Bomet County to hold a fundraiser for the welfare of local musicians, defying an earlier warning by Prof Barchok.
Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has shifted into high gear in his battle with a section of Rift Valley leaders led by Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei over political and development matters.
In a first and rare bare-knuckles approach to the political pressure mounting against him, Murkomen said he would not be distracted by the noise being made and that going forward he would face his detractors head on.
Cabinet Secretaries Davis Chirchir (Energy), Ababu Namwamba (Sports), Njuguna Ndung'u (Finance) and Murkomen have recently been in the crosshairs of MPs over their performance.
Murkomen appears to have taken the gloves off, rolled up his shirt sleeves and decided to enter the ring for a duel with the leaders as he takes the fight to their doorsteps in a public spat that has been brewing for over seven months.
In what appears to be a preview of the undercurrents, the CS claimed that some of his critics were fighting him for not bending procurement rules and awarding tenders to them in the ministry.
“It seems that they (critics) do not know me. I have come a long way to get to where I am and I will focus on the tasks ahead. Some of these people seem to have forgotten that I have been a senior politician and traversed the country....Let them not imagine they are smarter than I am…” Murkomen said.
He said his focus was to deliver on the mandate given to him by President William Ruto (the appointing authority) and "ensure that the people of Kenya get development projects in their respective regions".
In an interview on Berur FM, a Kalenjin-language radio station, the CS urged Governor Barchok in the latest spat to resolve issues affecting Bomet County, including those in the water and roads sectors, instead of making him and the national government a "punching bag".
This comes days after Murkomen, through Ongoya and Wambla law firm, wrote to Cherargei demanding an apology for allegedly defaming the CS in a statement that portrayed him as "corrupt, lacking integrity, betraying the electorate, seeking parliamentary protection for wrongdoing and being unfit for public office."
"I cannot continue to be a punching bag for some politicians in press conferences and public rallies yet there are 22 Cabinet Secretaries and ministries in Kenya. They should concentrate on dealing with their issues and frustrations, most of which are of a personal nature and their own making,” Murkomen added.
In a politically daring move, Murkomen has said he will soon tour Bomet County to hold a fundraiser for the welfare of local musicians, defying an earlier warning by Prof Barchok that he should not go to the region without informing him.
On September 27, the Rift Valley's political divide came to the fore when Professor Barchok, Kericho Governor Erick Mutai and Emmurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno lashed out at Murkomen and other cabinet secretaries at a function at Bomet Green Stadium, claiming they were interfering in the region's political affairs.
"I appeal to President Ruto to rein in his cabinet secretaries who are engaged in politics with an eye on the 2032 succession politics. They are causing political division that will cost him (Dr Ruto) in the 2027 re-election campaigns” said Prof Barchok.
He said political leaders and senior government officers (CSs) should inform him of their tours in the region as he has the “keys to Bomet County” as the political top gun.
“I would not accept to be undermined in my own backyard by those who have been coming (to hold meetings) without my knowledge. I would not take the forays by the CS lying down,” Barchok said.
The governor seems to have been angered by a tour by Murkomen on September 8 and 9, where he was received by Senator Hillary Sigei in the company of all the elected MPs and some MCAs. Barchok was out of the country at the time.
“Professor Barchok has said he has the key to Bomet County and no one should tour the area without his express permission. I dare ask him, who issues the visas (to Bomet)? Is he even aware that President Ruto has waived visa demands for foreigners visiting Kenya?” Murkomen said.
“Whereas other governors – Stephen Sang (Nandi), Jonathan Bii (Uasin Gishu), Wisley Rotich (Elgeyo Marakwet) and Benjamin Cheboi (Baringo) have President William Ruto on their phone’s speed dial and engage him for support on various development projects, why is it that Professor Barchok has sidelined himself and made the national government a punching bag on development matters?”
Murkomen added: "Professor Barchok should alleviate the suffering of women in Bomet by making it easy for them to access clean drinking water and improve the state of rural roads, which are impassable. He should be engaging me for support in areas where the county government has prioritised development but is unable to fund it."
During inter-denominational prayers in Sotik Constituency last month, Ngeno and Cherargei told President Ruto not to interfere when MPs and other leaders criticise Cabinet Secretaries on a myriad of issues affecting the people.
“When we criticise the CSs and other top government officials, we mean well and we want them to deliver on their mandate in line with the Kenya Kwanza manifesto and promise to the people of Kenya. The noise you hear from this (Rift Valley) region is meant to sharpen those in [authority] and remind them on your behalf of their mandate which they have no choice but to deliver on,” Ngeno told the president.
In a follow-up interview, he said, “We want to make it clear that as a region (Rift Valley), we will remain united and scatter all those out to divide us for selfish political gain. We will rally behind the president while holding the CSs and other government officers to account.”
Cherargei said in a recent interview that he would not relent in criticising CSs who were not up to the task in their dockets because that was what the electorate expected of him.
“There is nothing personal about holding the Cabinet Secretaries to account. As a matter of fact, if the CSs fail in their dockets, it means the presidency has failed. We do not want that to happen under our watch,” he said.
“What is personal about asking Murkomen, for example, why the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport terminal was in a state of disrepair with leaking roofs that has shamed our country? Why would one form a committee to look into that? When we ask about the state of roads, airports, airstrips, is that a personal or national matter?”
The political contest has overshadowed the development agenda in the region as the clock ticks towards the 2027 general election.
