- Kipchumba Murkomen stood out as one of the notable members of President William Ruto’s first Cabinet
- The former Elgeyo Marakwet senator courted controversy, a section of Kenyans spotlighting his moves as he ran one of the important dockets in the government
- Despite the controversy, pundits argue Murkomen has the capacity to deliver should Ruto entrust him with a post in the National Executive
Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
President William Ruto is expected to name a second batch of his cabinet this week to complete the reconstitution process that started last week.
Former Roads and Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen officiating at a past function. Photo: Kipchumba Murkomen.
Source: Facebook
Ruto took the unprecedented move to dissolve the entire cabinet except for Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi following public outrage spearheaded by Gen Z protesters.
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On Friday, July 19, the president re-appointed six CSs and five new nominees to join the cabinet.
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Is Murkomen fit to be CS?
Those re-appointed include Kithure Kindiki (Interior), Aden Duale (Forestry), Alice Wahome (Lands ), Soipan Tuya (Defence), Davis Chirchir (Roads), Rebecca Miano (Attorney General).
Commenting on the ongoing developments, political analyst Weswa Biketi asked Ruto to consider re-appointing former Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to the cabinet, arguing he is a workaholic.
“He might have angered some Kenyans with his so-called opulence which was unnecessary in my view. However, Murkomen is one of the best brains one would want to have in his team. He is a workaholic and was one of the few CSs who could communicate and explain government policies to the people effectively,” said Weswa.
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The pundit noted the former Elgeyo Marakwet senator had sacrificed a lot to support the president and his administration.
“This is the man who lost his job as the Senate majority leader for standing with Ruto. He had to relinquish his seat as a senator to join the cabinet. Leaving him in the cold would be the highest form of betrayal,” added Weswa.
Conversations with engineers at the Ministry indicate that the huge pending bills (currently standing at KSh 165 billion), coupled with a low allocation of KSh 50 billion, were the biggest headaches Murkomen endured, and that the former CS considered delivering more than 1,000 km of tarmac roads a miracle.
“Murkomen also managed to secure full funding from China for 15 roads to the tune of KSh37 billion in several counties from Nyanza to Coast through Rift Valley. He considered this his flagship achievement,” Eng David Muchilwa, a senior advisor at the Ministry, told TUKO.co.ke.
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As Ruto plans to name his full cabinet in the course of the week, all eyes will be on Murkomen and a host of other former CSs who were left out in the first nomination list.
The new figures proposed in the Cabinet are Debra Mulongo Barasa, who was nominated into the Health docket, Julius Ogamba (Education), Andrew Karanja (Agriculture and Livestock Development), Eric Muriithi (Water) and Margaret Ndungu (ICT).
The National Assembly Committee on Appointment will be vetting the nominees before the House debates on their suitability to occupy their respective dockets.
What kind of Cabinet does Ruto want?
Ruto said the remaining members of the Cabinet would be unveiled upon the completion of bipartisan talks, which he suggested involved players across the political divide.
The president dismissed his Cabinet on July 11 and attributed the move to the evaluation by the Kenyan public, which was unimpressed by the CSs’ below-par performance.
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He then asserted his new resolve to put together a competent team that would help him deliver his agenda.
Ruto hinted at having a broad-based executive that will have the face of Kenyan unity, all indications pointing to the incorporation of the opposition into the government.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
