‘Kalenjin New Billionares’ Story Mainly Designed To Taint The Name Of CS Murkomen
The Mt Kenya Times 
Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen
By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- The authors would turn deaf ear to this positive development. Out of blue, they would instead allege that the CS received a bribe during this visit. Which contractor gave the bribe? Where did they met? The time and date? The authors would not answer these questions. So, no right thinking Kenyan would buy this. Most of them would interpret this as a well-choreographed fiction, a white lie.
- By dropping the names of Kipchumba and other Kalenjin elites and trying to associate them with imagined corruption scandals, the ultimate goal was to cast President William Ruto in bad light.
- This is what they intended to achieve. Incite Kenyans that he did not believe in the war against corruption.
A few days ago, a weekly newspaper published a story headlined ‘Ruto Kalenjin New Billionares’. When I read it, I realized that Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen was their main target.
The authors had made damning allegations linking him to corrupt dealings. They would not however adduce an iota of evidence to support the claims.
The story had been preceded by President William Ruto’s state visit to China. The Transport CS is among the leaders who had accompanied him. He had not gone there as a tourist. He was there to undertake official duties.
As we know, President Ruto had been invited by his Chinese counterpart to attend China-Africa Belt and Roads Summit. Thereafter, the two leaders held bilateral talks and Kenya scored big. Dr Ruto managed to secure lucrative deals and agreements meant to support many sectors of the Kenya economy. Regarding support on infrastructural development, CS Kipchumba and his counterpart signed the agreements.
The authors would turn deaf ear to this positive development. Out of blue, they would instead allege that the CS received a bribe during this visit. Which contractor gave the bribe? Where did they met? The time and date? The authors would not answer these questions. So, no right thinking Kenyan would buy this. Most of them would interpret this as a well-choreographed fiction, a white lie.
By dropping the names of Kipchumba and other Kalenjin elites and trying to associate them with imagined corruption scandals, the ultimate goal was to cast President William Ruto in bad light.
This is what they intended to achieve. Incite Kenyans that he did not believe in the war against corruption.
He was preaching water and drinking wine and hence taking them a ride.
The work ethics and laws regulating the field of journalism does not allow members of fourth estate to originate or be the sources of the stories.
Therefore I want to believe that the authors of the story had relied on the views they had gathered from the well known political opponents of the President.
The sources were not based on facts and were totally skewed and biased
It is worth noting that Dr Ruto was not re-inventing the wheel. The previous Kenyan heads of state and government had also appointed close allies from their respective community to serve in strategic top-notch public dockets. They would consider them because the role they had played to bankroll and support their campaigns.
The late Cabinet Minister George Saitoti was one of them. President Mwai Kibaki had appointed him to serve in a powerful docket of Internal Security. This is despite Saitoti’s name having been adversely mentioned as the key architecture of the multi-billion Goldernburg scandal that shook the country during the era of President Daniel Arap Moi.
Saitoti had not cleared his name by the time he got that coveted job.
Get me right here. I’m not saying that two wrongs can make right. For Dr Ruto’s allies, there was no evidence linking anyone of them to corruption scandals.
This is not the first time we have heard the names of such leaders being dropped and linked to imaginative corruption scandals.
This time, the top leaders of ODM and Azimio coalition are at work.
Many Kenyans believe this is because they lost the elections of 2022, period. They were yet to come to terms that Dr Ruto had defeated them.
For Raila Odinga, the loss was so devastating and painful. He never thought he can lose at a time when the outgoing President, Deep State and System was on his side.
Dr Ruto was however clever. He had coined the narratives of the hustlers versus Dynasties and bottom-up economic model. This enabled him to rally majority of Kenyans behind him. That is how he beat Baba with ease.
It is worth noting that timing of the story coincided with President Ruto’s making new strides in the war against corruption.
The President was not only talking tough but more importantly escalating the matter by calling on the anti-graft bodies to immediately commence the probes and ensure the culprits are brought to justice.
The President’s interventions have been resonating very well with the masses.
This is because this was a departure from Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidency.
Uhuru was known for talking tough but without taking any tangible action.
There was a time he said that Sh2 billion was being stolen every day in Kenya but this matter ended there.
He had earlier shocked Kenyans when he hosted the heads of anti-graft bodies at State House Nairobi.
Though one would have expected him to take on them for frustrating his administration’s efforts to fight mega corruption scandals, he instead appeared helpless as he threw his hands in air. Uhuru posed: What do you want me to do? Kenyans interpreted this to mean they were on thier own.
Since he assumed office, President Ruto has made great strides. When a plot to steal Sh3.7 billion from the Global Fund meant to buy and supply mosquito nets to the downtrodden Kenyans was brought to his attention, he immediately nipped the plot in the bud.
He fired the senior officials at the Ministry of Health and Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) who had been adversely mentioned.
He also called for the prosecution of the culprits.
The President have also been cracking the whip to streamline other sectors, the latest ones being Athi Water Works Development Agency, Rift Valley Water Works and Kenya Forest Service (KFS).
At Water Works, the heads of the two agencies are among top officials being investigated.
At KFS, he endorsed the decision of the board to send 29 managers and forest rangers packing. Those culpable should face the law.
The Azimio coalition is yet to prove their claims despite receiving a strong back-up from a section of the mainstream houses championing thier course.
In yester years, Azimio leader Raila Odinga had curved a niche of being a whistleblower. He had indeed become a household during the reign of President Mwai Kibaki and his successor Uhuru Kenyatta.
He had unearthed and exposed a number of mega corruption scandals. He would ride on these campaigns to forcibly join the government and occupy his seat on the high table. The role of whistle blowing would come to an end. So, Kenyans would end up being the biggest losers.
Today, we know Raila is harboring a major grudge with President Ruto.
As such, one would have expected him to be in forefront of exposing the so called corruption scandals if they ever existed.
He would not dare to do this. Reason? He knew he would end up being embarrassed and ashamed because of peddling outright lies.
He had left his brigade to play this card. By painting Dr Ruto in bad light, he hoped this would make him soften his stance and invite him for talks. He has since realized Ruto is a hard nut to crack.
For now, Raila wants to make peace with the President. Has realized this when it is too late?
He is desperately looking for an opportunity to sit down with President Ruto.
Sometimes back he had revealed that the President of Tanzania Samia Suluhu was in Nairobi and she spent two nights. He fell short of saying he is the one who had invited her.
He said the purpose of her visit was to initiate talks between him and president Ruto.
But this did not come to pass. She left before meeting the president.
Here, Raila’s seemed to blow hot and cold. On one hand he cast a picture that the President is now ready for dialogue , but on other hand one would ask. Why did Suluhu left before meeting Dr Ruto if that was the case?
Many believe the other political card that Raila was out to play is this.
Dr Ruto was ready for dialogue. However, the top guns of ruling Kenya Kwanza government were vehemently opposed to talks.
On this issue, Dr Ruto has since cornered him. The National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) chaired by Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Majority leader Kimani Ichungwah has already finalized the talks and unveiled the final report. This is seen as a win-win for all Kenyans.
It is worth noting. Raila lost the election to Dr Ruto. After being declared the winner by the IEBC chairman, Raila filed a petition at the Supreme Court of Kenya to challenge his victory. He lost the case and the court upheld the Dr Ruto’s victory.
Also, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka confirmed this when he spoke in Machakos during the Saba Saba demonstrations. He stated. Our eader Raila Odinga lost but Ruto won with a slight margin of 60,000 votes. This explains why the country is divided in the middle. We therefore call upon Ruto to respond to our calls for dialogue.
With this, President Ruto does not owe Raila any debt.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi
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