Elgeyo Marakwet Senator, Kipchumba Murkomen, on Friday, September 13, alleged that Citizen TV's News Gang team discredited Jubilee's McDonald Mariga based on unverified information.
The news gang team that comprises of Joe Ageyo, Francis Gachuri, Yvonne Okwara, Linus Kaikai, and Jamila Mohammed was highly critical of Mariga's candidature ahead of IEBC's ruling the following day.
On his Twitter page, the majority leader of the Senate stated that the team attacked the footballer based on tweets from a fake account.
"It’s an indictment on the part of my friends; Joe Ageyo, Francis Gachuri, Linus Kaikai and YvonneOkwara to viciously attack Mariga because of tweets from a fake account. One would think that they would do some basic verification on the authenticity of the twitter account before going on air," Murkomen wrote.
He further alleged that the team might have been sponsored to influence the case.
"The team agreed to discredit ferociously Mariga's case before IEBC the night before the hearing. Never seen something like this from Citizen TV before. Must be sponsored to influence the case," he continued.
During the show, the journalists agreed that Mariga's candidature for the Kibra seat was fishy, noting that would not have garnered support from all Jubilee members.
"It comes out as really untidy for Mariga that this is how he wants to enter politics; it’s looking very chaotic and disorganized on his part," Kaikai noted.
"I think there is something going on in Jubilee about the Mariga candidature that we are yet to understand," Ageyo weighed in.
KTN journalist, Tony Gachoka, came to the defence of the Newsgang shaming the senator for attacking his fellow scribes on his Twitter page
"Shame on Kipchumba Murkomen & Denis Itumbi for attacking my able colleagues. They did their job. Cardinal rule of Journalism is that opinion is free but Facts are Sacred," he wrote.
