Speaking on Thursday December 5 after gracing the first joint graduation ceremony of Kericho County Vocational Training Centres, Murkomen slammed the church, media, and government critics accusing them of being tribal in their evaluation of the President’s performance so far.

Terming the current Kenya Kwanza fault-finding by Kenyans as unfair, the CS denounced the attacks directed at the President saying they were not issue-base.

Murkomen took issue with why Ruto is constantly only being compared to Kenya’s second president Daniel arap Moi, who was also from the Kalenjin community, and not other past Heads of State like Jomo Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta who were all Kikuyus.

“I find it unfair that many people especially the church, the media and our critics are criticising President William Ruto not based on facts of the things we are doing but a criticism laced with tribalism,” he stated.

“I find it unfair that President Ruto is not being compared with former President Uhuru Kenyatta or Mwai Kibaki or Jomo Kenyatta because of the disease and mentality of tribalism. Every critic of Ruto is comparing him with Daniel Moi, as if there was one president before him.”

The former Elgeyo Marakwet Senator argued Ruto’s detractors are unfavourably weighing him up with the former Heads of State who have already completed their terms, instead of only focusing on the two years he has been in office.

He argued that the late former President Mwai Kibaki, who is acclaimed for turning the Kenyan economy around, also faced the same criticism as Ruto in his first two years.

Murkomen stated that, in that same way, President Ruto will with time muffle his critics by revamping the economy.

“It is unfair to find fault the President based on where he comes from or comparing with a President who came from this community before. Let’s criticize him on facts as they are; compare Ruto with his predecessor in the first two years or with Kibaki in the first two years,” he said.

“In 2003 or 2004 everybody was crying that President Kibaki amemaliza uchumi, but in 2007, if not for post-election violence, he was being celebrated for turning around the economy.”

“That is why we want to say confidently that we have confidence in President Ruto, if we give him the necessary time and criticize him fairly we are going to get proper results for our country,” he said.

His remarks attracted condemnation online with many dismissing him.

Lawyer Ahmednasir Abdulahi termed his remarks utter rubbish.

“Kenyans are criticizing President William because they want him to succeed/deliver on his promises…his TRIBE is totally irrelevant and diversionary bwana Waziri @kipmurkomen. Deliver and Kenyans will dance on the street and name their newborn kids after H.E (Ruto),” he said in a post.

The post Church, Media Criticising Ruto Because of his Tribe – CS Murkomen Claims  appeared first on KahawaTungu.

Among those who joined was president William Ruto, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Senate Majority leader Aaron Cheruiyot.

Whereas Ruto did not talk in the conversation started to demand the release of @_CrazyNairobian, he quit as those in there realized his presence.

The Twitter users were on the “Good Morning Kenya; Where is Crazy Nairobian” when the drama began.

The president or the one handling his account left almost ten seconds after he joined.

Those in the conversation noticed and chided his move.

Murkomen was the first to join and tried to address it the listeners who had grown to more than 50,000 but the controllers asked him to stick to the topic of the missing Twitter user also known as Billy The Goat.

Those in the conversation took their time educating the listeners on their rights, how they will protest against the proposed taxes and other electoral issues.

They told those who have never voted to take the matter seriously in the coming elections and be registered and make sure they vote.

The discussion was started after police arrested at least five content creators over claims they had abused some people

On Saturday, 25 human rights associations of content creators, lawyers, medical officers and human rights defenders across the country called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to clarify the whereabouts of the content creator 

The agencies include the Bloggers Association of Kenya, The Law Society, Kenya Medical Association, Defenders Coalition, the Independent Medical Legal Union and Amnesty International Kenya. Reports from family and friends that Billy Simani has been arrested and is currently detained by the National Police Service in an undisclosed location.

They demanded the immediate release of any other content creators currently under arrest, the government to issue a public undertaking that no content creators or any Kenyan for that matter will be arrested for expressing their opinion online or for supporting the current protests.

“The government to guarantee the right to freedom of expression for all Kenyans in line with our Constitution, the independent state agencies to independently investigate these arrests with a view to holding those responsible accountable.”

They said the rights of arrested persons are clearly laid out in constitution Article 49.

“We remind all state officers and the public that any infractions of this article and forcibly abducting, holding of persons incommunicado or the denial of visitation rights are crimes under our laws.”

Blogger Dennis Itumbi claimed Billy was under arrest over claims he sent threatening message(s).

“I get hundreds of those myself, & they do not bother me. But well, it is a crime. I am unable to intervene, though I strongly disagree. I will reach out to the complainant to see if he/she can withdraw.”

This come in the wake of plans to hold more protests over the proposed taxes.

A wave of Gen Zs took to the streets to protest against the Finance Bill 2024, but the government seems not to take the demonstrations seriously going by the turn of events.

Government officials have sought to discredit the protests, terming them as a ploy for the youth to get more views on their social media platforms.

Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah’s latest remarks attracted the ire of the youth after he claimed that the protestors were misguided and did not understand the contents of the bill.

He mocked the youthful protesters insinuating that they were privileged persons arriving at the protests in taxis while holding iPhones and then later dining at KFC joints after the demonstrations.

“The Gen Z have iphones and use Ubers to protest. Wanatoka maandamano wanaingia KFC kukula kuku na minofu, maji ni ile ya chupa…si mliwaona? Hawajui shida stima ni kitu gani…wako na umeme 24/7,” he said in Baringo County on Friday.

Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi also sought to censure the protests, saying that the youth did not understand the bill.

President William Ruto’s economic adviser David Ndii mocked the demonstrations and termed the digital activism as “wanking.”

“Politics is a contact sport. Digital activism is just wanking. Any jackass can kick down a barn but it takes a good carpenter to build one,” Ndii said.

The comments have elicited the ire of Kenyans online who seek an audit of the billions collected from revenue from taxes introduced in past Finance Bills.

Critics have also called on the government to take the issue seriously, citing that the youth have taken it upon themselves to bring a revolution in the country, regardless of tribe or political stand.

Dagoretti South Member of Parliament John ‘KJ’ Kiarie was on the spot over his remarks, claiming that some of the photos shared online were either old or doctored to drive an agenda as they did not represent the true state of affairs.

He was on Friday shouted down at a meeting in his constituency.

Kitui South MP Rachel Nyamai claimed that the Gen Zs were only interested in gaining TikTok views.

Using the #OccupyParliament, the youth sought to access Parliament at a time when the MPs were voting on the bill.

Braving teargas, water canons and intimidations, the protests ran through the entire afternoon and into the night, with the youth exercising their rights to demonstrate.

Despite the numerous protests across the country, 204 MPs voted in support of the bill, against 115, meaning that the bill proceeds to the Committee of the Whole House next week.

The post Drama as Ruto, Murkomen Join and Quit X Space Demanding Release of Detained Content Creator appeared first on KahawaTungu.

This is after a video he was captured on went viral after being humiliatingly dismissed by Murkomen while pleading for a job opportunity.

The issue went viral with some social media users created a meme saying “hatupeani kazi”.

Elphas Busisa confirmed landing a driver’s job after many years of seeking employment in government.

He has been employed as a driver at the Kenya National Highways Authority Project office in Nakuru.

“Nimefanya kazi tangu 1996, ilifika mahali ikasismama, nikatafuta ingine lakini nikifika mahali inasimama. Ilipofika 2020 wakati wa Covid-19 kazi yangu ikasimama na wakati ilisimama nimeumia na familia yangu. Hata kupata chakula ilikuwa shida,” he said.

He said he had gone follow-up on his documents at the National Transport and Safety Authority office when Murkomen walked in.

Busisa was among a group of people seated at the waiting bay.

It was during the interaction with Kenyans seeking services at the NTSA office that Busisa got an opportunity to greet Murkomen and ask him for a job.

“When he was moving out and we were seated at the bench, he approached me and asked if I had a problem. I told CS Murkomen that I’m unemployed but he said he was not giving employment at that moment,” he said.

Busisa has now revealed that the CS dispatched some officials to him on the same day who worked on his job request. The new KeNHA driver expressed gratitude for the appointment saying he will now be able to put food on the table and support his family.

Many Kenyans felt the move was a reaction to the viral video on the issue while others thanked Murkomen for the move.

The post Jobless Man Who was Dismissed by CS Murkomen Finally Lands Job appeared first on KahawaTungu.

Following the release of the draft e-Mobility Policy by a task force earlier appointed by Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Watu Credit has confirmed its corporate plans to invest more than Sh1.3 billion in accelerating efforts to transition from financing fossil-powered motorbikes to electric bikes progressively.

Murkomen said the policy will guide the development of electric mobility in all transportation modes—roads, rail, air, and maritime—and will provide a transition framework from the internal combustion engine currently in use. “To achieve this, we are partnering with the private sector, international investors, and academic institutions to build the necessary infrastructure,” Murkomen said.

“To promote faster adoption of EVs, we have begun the process of assigning green-coloured number plates to all-electric vehicles, including two-wheelers. Special plates will help raise awareness about EVs among the general public and encourage more people to consider switching to e-mobility. We are also setting up charging infrastructure at our Ministry headquarters.”

With the release of the national e-mobility policy, Watu Credit Country Manager Erick Massawe said the firm would support the national electric vehicles transition agenda by actively bridging the financing gap, which has been identified as a critical barrier to the acquisition of Electric Vehicles, including two—and three-wheel motorbikes.

He added that the firm is collaborating with several manufacturing partners, such as Arc Ride and GOGO Electric, to deliver bikes made for local conditions and will also develop a nationwide network of electric bike battery swapping stations.

“At Watu, we are committing to invest more than Sh1.3 billion by 2030 to finance the acquisition of thousands of electric-powered motorbikes in Kenya through our hire purchase option. For this to happen, we are working closely with several Manufacturers to deliver tropicalised units that can meet the local road and related operating conditions,” Massawe said.

Details contained in the 2024 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) confirm that the Government, under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), identifies the adoption of electric mobility as a priority intervention to achieve the win-win outcomes of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, providing cheaper transport and leveraging our large local and regional motorcycle market to build an electric and battery electric vehicle industry.

The government has adopted e-mobility as a high-priority intervention to address the challenges of pollution, adverse health effects, and fuel costs, which raise operational and health costs across the board.

The post Watu Credit Kenya Welcomes the Draft National e-Mobility Policy Publishing appeared first on KahawaTungu.

The duo escaped unhurt after a private chopper they were travelling in crashed as it attempted to take off in Mwachon, Baringo County.

Officials advised the victims to seek medical attention.
The pilot too escaped unhurt.

The chopper registration number 5Y-PKI is privately owned but the two had hired it.

They were visiting several places in the area when the incident happened.

Police were later called to guard the badly damaged chopper as the officials were transported to their intended destination.

Sources say that the chopper’s landing gear was damaged.

The cause of accident is yet to be established.

Here are social media reactions:

A helicopter carrying Transport Kipchumba Murkomen and KAA Chairman Caleb Kositany crashes during takeoff in Mwachon, Eldama Ravine.

Everyone onboard is safe. pic.twitter.com/KoOXpr2stK

— Ole Teya (@TeyaKevin) March 9, 2024

Photos of the chopper crash carrying Murkomen and Kositany. pic.twitter.com/1xxcUSHkKf

— Kenya West (@KinyanBoy) March 9, 2024

More follows 

The post Chopper Carrying Transport CS Murkomen, KAA’s Kositany Crashes in Baringo During Take Off appeared first on KahawaTungu.

This ends a feud that Abdi had with his now former Managing Director Phillip Mainga.

Murkomen named Abdi Bare Duale, a brother to defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale as the new board chairman for three years in the changes announced in a gazette notice dated February 5.

Captain Moha is the owner of Skyward Express, a local airline that has revolutionised local air transport.

In other changes, president William Ruto named Muhumed Abdi Mohamed as the chairman of the board of the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited for a period of three years.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu named Hawa Shanko as a member of the council of North Eastern National Polytechnic for a period of three years while tourism CS Alfred Mutua appointed Dr Yussuf Adan as a member of the Board of Directors of the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, for a period of three years.

Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage Aisha Jumwa appointed Hussein Kadida as a member of the National Heroes Council for three years.

The post Murkomen Sacks Kenya Railways Chairman in Changes  appeared first on KahawaTungu.

The Multi-Sectoral Technical Committee, chaired by Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Director Walter Ogolla, reviewed the state of facilities and operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Moi International Airport and Wilson Airport.

One of the key recommendations is that more personnel be hired at KAA to bridge the human resource gap, which has been a long-standing challenge.

“KAA has been struggling with a disorganized and demoralized workforce with no clearly defined roles and succession plan,” said Murkomen.

He said the team’s proposal to have existing contracts reviewed is particularly important.

He added the performance-based contracts that the report recommends will ensure accountability, high standards and value for taxpayer money.

“We must insist on KAA embracing a maintenance culture and compliance with international standards and best practices.”

The team recommended the need to improve the condition of airport access roads, parking lots, passenger circulation and signage at all the three airports.

It also called for the improvement of the terminal building facilities, including replacing rusted and leaking roofs/ceilings, and overhauling power backup and water reticulation systems.

Revamping electro-mechanical systems, including installing new standby generators to provide primary backup and replacing old and defective screening equipment, is another key recommendation.

The team also called for the rehabilitation of runways that have shown serious surface defects and structural failures.

Others are improving airside and landside drainage systems and better manage overgrown vegetation and landscaped areas, strengthening luggage handling systems and passenger boarding bridges, modernising firefighting systems and improving security systems through fencing and screening.

Most of these facilities are in bad shape due to negligence and lack of funds to maintain them.

This has affected service delivery at large.

This comes at a time when the airports were exposed twice after their generators at JKIA and Eldoret failed to respond following a power blackout.

The post Murkomen Receives Report on State of Airports’ Facilities  appeared first on KahawaTungu.

A similar situation was reported in Mombasa and Eldoret airports leaving many stranded for long.

Murkomen said he has made a formal request to the National Police Service (NPS) to investigate what he terms as ‘possible acts of sabotage and cover up’.

This follows Sunday’s nationwide power outage.

The blackout, the third of its kind in three months, affected key infrastructures including JKIA where the backup generators failed to power up, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said.

Read: Two Generators Failed to Start Immediately, KAA Says After Blackout Amid Sabotage Probe

Murkomen took to X, formerly Twitter, saying that efforts to restore power at the international airport were underway.

Murkomen further proposed that the frequent disruption of power raises a red flag, proposing a probe into the matter and apprehending those who will be found culpable.

“In the meantime, the cleanup of the mess at JKIA continues. The KAA Board is under strict instructions to carry on with the reform agenda and the management to implement, as directed, the report of the technical committee which I recently constituted,” added Murkomen.

This is the third outage, the first outage was on August 25, while the second was on November 11.

During the outage on November 11, it took over 12 hours to restore power in most parts of the country.

In August, after Kenya Power issued a brief statement announcing a “system disturbance leading to loss of bulk power supply,” Murkomen apologized after passengers were stranded at JKIA.

Read Also: Kenyans in Darkness In Third Nationwide Blackout in Three Months

“I am really sorry for what has happened. There is no excuse worth reporting and there is no reason why our airport is in darkness,” he said in a statement close to midnight.

KAA Sunday apologized to affected passengers noting that that other than Terminal 1A and 1E, the rest of the airport, including the JKIA Tower and Runway, remained fully operational.

Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) said that normalcy has been restored in Mt Kenya region, South Nyanza, Western, Central and North Rift, North Eastern and most parts of Nairobi.

And following the request by Murkomen, a team of detectives was set up to investigate both KPLC and KAA operations at large.

The team was set to visit the facilities to investigate what may have transpired prior to the blackout and after.

They will make recommendations to the CS and the Office of Public Prosecutions, officials said.

The post CS Murkomen Demands Probe into Possible Sabotage After Nationwide Blackout appeared first on KahawaTungu.

In a statement on Monday, Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen said Gitau will serve for a period of three years with effect from October 30, 2023.

Gitau previously served as the Infrastructure Secretary at the State Department of Roads.

“On behalf of the Ministry and the Board of NaMATA, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate Eng. Francis Gitau on this appointment and with him well in his new role. We are confident that Eng. Francis Gitau will provide leadership in the development of an integrated Mass Rapid Transport System fine Nairobi Metropolitan Area,” said Murkomen.

Gitau has over 30 years of experience in road sector development and management.

He holds a Master’s degree in Transportation Engineering from the University of Nairobi, an Executive Master in Business Administration from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering.

He has postgraduate training in Road Maintenance from Aachen University iGermany and has acquired advanced international training on Road Construction and Maintenance from Malaysia.

He is trained in corporate governance among other professional trainings done locally and internationally.

The post Francis Gitau Appointed Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority Boss appeared first on KahawaTungu.

Speaking on Saturday, the CS who held a crisis meeting at the KAA offices at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), said Gitari will be replaced by Henry Ogoye in an acting capacity.

The changes, he said, take effect immediately.

“By Mutual consent, the contract of Mr Alex Gitari who had been the managing director of Kenya Airports Authority has been terminated. In his place Mr Henry Ogoye who has been Head of Corporate Affairs,” he said.

Also sacked was General Manager Engineering Fred Odawo. JKIA airport manager Abel Gogo was transferred to Mombasa.

Selina Gor, Kisumu Airport manager, was transferred to JKIA. She will replace Odawo with immediate effect.

“I wish to issue unreserved apology to all travellers and airport users who were affected in one way or the other by the power disruption at JKIA,” Murkomen said.

Read: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Power Outage Linked To System Failures

The outage affected Terminal 1A, the biggest and “the jewel” of this busy hub, Murkomen said.

The control tower and the runways, he insisted, were not affected.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the incident though regrettable did not pose any danger to our incoming and outgoing flights and passengers considering that the backup generator lighting the runway and control tower was seamlessly deployed when the blackout occurred and at no time did we have an iota of darkness on the runway and the tower,” he said.

The incident, the CS said, was inexcusable and “we should have prepared for this, and we are not allowed to give any excuses.”

KAA, Murkomen said, has since begun the process of hiring permanent staff to take these positions, in an exercise that will be concluded within two weeks.

“In order to ensure that a similar incident is not replicated, it has been decided that the two generators that were procured more than two years ago be immediately commissioned,” said Murkomen.

He went on: “I assure the country and the world that we have taken measures to enhance capacity of technical experts in the engineering department to ensure this incident does not recur.”

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