You never taught me! Cherargei hits back at Murkomen

A collage of Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei and Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen./FILE

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has dismissed as false claims by Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen that he was his student.

Murkomen made the claims on the floor of the House when he appeared before the Senate on Wednesday to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the arrest and eventual death in police custody of social media commentator and teacher Albert Ojwang. 

"For the record CS Murkomen never taught me in any class of law," Cherargei said in a social media post.

"He was just making political statements to save his skin from accountability. He should answer Kenyans who kill Albert Ojwang."

Cherargei and Murkomen have been at each other's throats even before Murkomen was elevated to the ministerial position to man the Interior docket.

Previously in 2023, when running the Roads and Transport Ministry, the Nandi senator was also on Murkomen's case, chiding him for failing to avert road accidents and for allegedly refusing to award road construction tenders to locals.

"Give our children the priority of being contractors because if we don't teach our children to be strong contractors, we won't be competitive,'' Cherargei said then while speaking at a funeral attended by Murkomen.

Taking a moment from responding to the pertinent questions raised concerning Ojwang's murder in the hands of police, the CS made reference to a series of criticisms the outspoken Nandi senator has been serving him for years.

Murkomen was livid that Cherargei was leading the "resign" chorus in light of the troubling nature under which Ojwang met his death, as well as the unresolved murders of Catholic priest Fr Allois Cheruiyot Bett, Fr John Maina, the Angata Baragoi killings, and several other criminal activities perpetrated by criminal gangs in Nakuru and Mombasa.

According to Cherargei, these incidents are a demonstration of incompetence on the side of the CS in charge of internal security.

"He must resign! How can incompetent person teach me? "t can't happen," he said.

While speaking on the floor of the House, Murkomen said when he was moved from the Transport ministry, Cherargei stopped talking about road accidents, and that when he was in charge of the Sports dockect, a volleyball team lost a match and again Cherargei said he must resign.

"When I left the Sports ministry, he never said that I must resign because of the volleyball. When I came to this new ministry, he never waited for two months before saying that I must resign.

"Mr Speaker, all these resignation is compounded around a theme of the minister being incompetent. Mr Speaker, Senator Cherargei was my student. I taught him not one subject, not two subjects—more than two subjects. Mr Speaker, his performance was below average," Murkomen said to a loud roar of laughter from the plenary.

"Mr Speaker, he has no legitimacy, at all, to question my competency or perfomance," he added, saying he was ready to table his examination results.

At this point, Speaker Amason Kingi intervened and cautioned the CS against casting aspersions on the integrity of members' academic credentials.

"Hon CS, the academic performance of any senator is not something to be debated here," Kingi said, to which Murkomen retorted, "I will go further Mr speaker."

Murkomen insisted that he had a right of reply to Cherargei, defending his track record as a defender of the oppressed.

He mentioned an episode in 2020 when former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala, his Samburu counterpart Steve Lelegwe and Bomet Senator Christopher Langat were arrested ostensibly to reduce numerical advantage in the House during voting on a bill to afford marginalised counties more funds from sharable revenue.

"Mr Speaker, that time, Senator Cherargei was opposed to any process...he said that we must progress and vote because he cared less. Mr Speaker if performance is anything to go by, anyone else can assess my performance, not Senator Cherargei."