That’s hypocrisy, Murkomen tells ODM on Jumwa expulsion

Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen has lashed out at ODM for expelling Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa saying it's hypocritical.

Speaking on Friday during the third Pastoralists’ Leadership Summit in Garissa, Murkomen said ODM was using its party machinery to unfairly punish leaders from marginalised areas.

He said the party’s top leadership is working with the government but it expelled Jumwa for associating with DP William Ruto.

“I want to tell this characters who pretend to be agents of democracy and they are lords presiding over the worst dictatorship in this republic that we will not watch our colleagues being sacrificed, tortured, as if they don’t belong to this country,” Murkomen said.

ODM’s National Governing Council on Friday expelled Jumwa over her dalliance with the DP whom she openly said she would support his 2022 presidential bid.

The council said her Msambweni counterpart Suleiman Dori’s goose was yet to be cooked as he will have a chance to defend himself before a special NGC session within 60 days.

Murkomen said ODM is a party that lives under contradictions as its leader Raila Odinga is working with the government courtesy of the March 9, 2018 handshake.

Read: Aisha Jumwa officially expelled from ODM, Dori survives

“And then you go for a small person who is fighting for development in their region and say he or she must be expelled because of working with an officer in that government. What kind of hypocrisy is that,” he asked.

Murkomen said Raila should not use the handshake to wage a war in his backyard of Elgeyo Marakwet by politicising the Arror and Kimwarer multipurpose dams.

“My county is under a scathing attack by agents of poverty, men and women who came to government and we thought that they were extending a hand of greeting but it was a hand of robbery,” Murkomen said.

He said leaders who are in government courtesy of the handshake appear determined to use the goodwill deal to deny marginalised regions development projects under the guise of fighting corruption.

The DCI has summoned directors of 107 companies for questioning over tenders they were awarded in the controversial dams project.

The summonses relate the alleged loss of Sh21 billion paid out as advance to an Italian contractor.

DP Ruto on Thursday termed the allegations a 'flat lie' saying only Sh7 billion was paid out. 

Speaking in Garissa on Friday, Ruto said it's unfortunate that we have people who are beneficiaries of the slavery of poverty who do not want any meaningful development in arid and semi arid areas.

"They have weaved together a narrative to criminalise these development projects," he said.