President Uhuru Kenyatta once saved Senate Majority Leader, Kipchumba Murkomen, from being hounded out of the House leadership.
The vocal senator had made controversial remarks regarding Mau Forest evictions, invoking the president's name, which attracted the wrath of his colleagues in the government.
Sources told Nation that an afternoon call from the head of state prevented what was to be an announcement of plans to kick out Murkomen out of the Senate top seat.
The legislator had dared President Kenyatta to contradict him on the evictions, which he described as inhumane.
“Mr President, today, I want to tell these people that I have come here and I have seen their suffering. I want you to also come to Mau, and tell them whether you stand with Natembeya (Narok county commissioner, or the common man who gave you votes,” Murkomen told an excitable gathering at Kitoben Primary School in Narok.
As if aware of what the statement might portend for him, and following a statement by Nairobi Senator, Johnson Sakaja, that he had disrespected President Kenyatta over his stand on the evictions, Murkomen put his Senate leadership position on the line.
“I know that the president on whose behalf I fought so hard, the same one we campaigned for against other people, cares for the people of Mau. So I want to tell you today if tomorrow I get ejected from my job as Senate majority leader, it will because I talked on your behalf,” Murkomen added.
Jubilee Party Secretary General, Raphael Tuju, threw the senator under the bus and termed the remark as personal and did not reflect the position of the ruling party.
“The party has a disciplinary committee and they will analyse this. If they think they need to summon him, they’ll summon him,” Tuju told journalists.
“On the Mau Forest, a government must do what it has to do to conserve the Mau. If an individual politician, even if it is the Leader of Majority in the Senate comes with a different position, definitely the position of the Executive prevails," he added.
