CS Murkomen Demands Apology from Cherargei Over Sh15 Billion Bribe Claims
Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen has filed a petition against Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei over alleged involvement in Sh15.3 billion bribe.
Murkomen has accused the legislator of defamation for claiming that he received the aforementioned amount of money from a Chinese Company identified as China Wu Yi.
The former Elgeyo Marakwet Senator wants Cherargei to issue a formal apology within seven days, failure to which he will take legal action against him.
“The said offensive words tend to lower the reputation of our client in the estimation of the ordinary, just and right-thinking members of the society,” said Murkomen in a demand letter dated November 29.
“In view of the above, our instructions are that we demand, which we hereby do, that within seven (7) days from the date of this letter, you do the following: Accept liability for defamation to give way to negotiations and tender an unqualified apology in writing to our client through the same channels through which you published the offending words.”
The latter added: “Take further notice that if you fail to comply with the terms of this demand within the time specified above, we have firm and unequivocal instructions to institute court proceedings against you without any further reference to you. This will be at your peril as to costs and other incidentals attendant to such court action.”
Cherargei is made the utterances on the floor of the Senate after Murkomen was summoned to account for the condition of the roads and other facilities.
Recently, Cherargei, who has had multiple run-ins with the Cabinet Secretary, said that Murkomen had already collected half of the bribe as deposit.
“He has visited China severally and you heard on the floor of the House defending Chinese Contractors. Where will the hustler contractors who voted for us go, if you are giving them contexts? Because he received a bribe and I am daring him to come clean on the allegation of receiving a hundred million US Dollars from China Wu Yi when he visited in the month of between June and October,” claimed the legislator.
Further, the two time lawmaker claimed that the minister had stashed the kickback in Dubai hence could not table evidence.
“So I want to dare him to tell the country what agreement he made on allegation of receiving a hundred million US Dollars from China Wu Yi where he was paid an upfront of fifty million, and we have all the facts, we have the flight manifest, we know where the money is in Dubai,” he added.
The Senator said that the CS was pushing for contracts to be awarded to Chinese companies while denying locals the same contracts because of the purported bribe.
“I want him to come out and tell the country because whenever he came to insult me in the funeral he defended the Chinese Contractors, who will defend Kenyans who are contractors, or does it mean that Kenyans don’t have the capacity to do roads? Even slashing and unclogging drainages, do we need Chinese to come and slash, where will our young people who do not have jobs go?” posed Cherargei.