Fresh revelations have emerged linking Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and Korir Sing'oe,
a top legal aide in Deputy President William Ruto's office, to a controversial Sh302 million contract from the Ministry of Devolution.
The two are partners in
Sing’oe, Murkomen & Sigei Advocates
that was paid Sh15 million by Out Of The Box Solutions, a
company contracted by the ministry to educate women on how to take advantage of the 30 percent procurement contracts reserved for women, youth and people with disabilities.
It is not clear what services the law firm rendered Out Of The Box Solutions, associated with former radio presenter Angela Angwenyi.
Anne Waiguru, whom Murkomen has recently attacked, was the Devolution CS when the law firm received the cash.
In a statement yesterday, Murkomen said the law firm received received the funds in its clients account on behalf of Out of the Box Solutions.
“This payment was not legal fees as alleged. We can also authoritatively confirm that our client was never at any time contracted by the NYS or its agents,” Murkomen said from London.
However, the law firm could not have been receiving the cash on behalf of Out of the Box Solutions because it was the company itself that paid the money cash into the law firm's account.
Ruto's personal assistant Farouk Kibet has separately been named in connection with the loss of Sh791 million from the National Youth Service.
Last month Ruto engaged in an ugly feud with Waiguru whom he accused of "cat-walking... when it's clear public money has been lost.”
Bank documents in possession of the Star indicate that Singoei, Murkomen and Sigei Advocates received payments amounting to Sh15 million in two batches. The money was transferred from the Out of the Box's account at GT Bank.
The first batch of Sh8 million was wired to the law firm's account at Cooperative Bank on 19 August, 2015, while the
second tranche of Sh7 million was paid a day later to another account of the law firm at Family Bank.
Out of the Box Solutions was awarded the tender for
Sh302,458,690
to conduct sensitisation campaigns targeting women, youth and persons with disabilities, and was signed on 5 December, 2015.
Before the Ministry of Devolution wired the initial Sh86 million to Out of the Box, its bank balance had been below Sh2,700 for months.
Family Bank where Murkomen's firm had a client account was linked to the loss of Sh791 million from NYS.
Family Bank staff in July wrote to DPP Keriako Tobiko asking him to prosecute a former top manager for fast-tracking accounts to launder NYS cash. Tobiko instead directed the CID to write to Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge to ask whether such a prosecution would harm the banking industry. Njoroge responded that it would not harm the industry and indeed would have a positive impact.
The DPP has still not initiated any prosecution.
In their letter dated 29 July, the Family Bank staff said
that a prominent Senator from Rift Valley frequently visited a top manager at the bank with millions of shillings in cash. The bank manager, the staff claimed, was now in the process of setting up a micro-finance institution with a seed capital of Sh300 million.
Murkomen has repeatedly denied receiving any NYS money including from key suspect Ben Gethi whom he represented as a lawyer.
“I have asked Waiguru and any Kenyan who has an iota of evidence linking me to payments including legal fees by Gethi and Kabura to come forward ASAP,” the Senator tweeted on Friday last week.
Murkomen said his law firm makes no apologies for representing its clients.
“When we charge our legal fees we don't ask our clients how they make their money just the same way Anne Waiguru's doctor (he who recommended light duties) didn't ask where she got her medical fees,” Murkomen said.
“Supermarket teller does not ask you to first account for your shopping money, neither does a matatu tout ask where passengers get their transport fees nor does your pastor ask where you got the sadaka before you offer. We are advocates and lawyering is our business,” he said.
Waiguru claimed that before she resigned in November 2015, Murkomen told her to tell the CID to drop investigations into the NYS scandal or “face unspecified consequences”.
“I pushed the DCI to conclude investigations. Soon thereafter proceedings for my impeachment by an MP from the URP wing of the Jubilee coalition and calls for my resignation peaked,” Waiguru said earlier this month.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee on November 3, Waiguru sensationally claimed the "cartel linked to Gethi" was responsible.
"We have already established some Sh200 million was used to ensure I am kicked out of government and spent in the media and social media, and it is still being used today," Waiguru said during over seven hours at the PAC.
Ruto's Chief of Staff Marianne Kaittany lost her job after she orchestrated an unsuccessful attempt to impeach Waiguru last year. She was questioned by the EACC over the alleged diversion of Sh100 million to the attempted impeachment of Waiguru.
On Sunday, Cord leader Raila Odinga asked Ruto to take responsibility for the losses at NYS.
“Those two are his people. Kibet received cash. We need to know on whose behalf and exactly how much he received. Ruto cannot continue to walk around and attack other suspects when his own office has been linked to the scandal. He must take political responsibility,” said Raila.