Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen has vowed to oppose the rumoured removal of Murang'a Senator Irungu Kang'ata as Senate Majority Chief Whip.
The former Senate Majority Leader said he would lead Senators in rejecting the ouster, should the Jubilee Party decide to initiate the removal process.
Kang'ata attracted criticism from a section of leaders in the country after a letter he wrote to President Uhuru Kenyatta on the popularity of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) in the Mount Kenya region was allegedly leaked to the media.
"If Jubilee Party Leadership calls for a meeting to remove Majority Whip Hon Kang'ata, we shall attend the meeting and vehemently oppose his ejection," Murkomen stated.
Murkomen conceded that he was ready to bury the hatchet between him and Kang'ata following his unceremonious demotion as Senate Majority Leader and support the Majority Whip.
"It doesn’t matter what he did to Susan Kihika and I, we shall oppose," Murkomen vowed.
Instead, the senator stated that the focus should be on ejecting alleged non-party members from Jubilee's leadership and replace them with party members.
Murkomen sentiments proceed reports of the Jubilee Party contemplating the removal of Kang'ata from the senate leadership.
Nyeri Town Member of Parliament Ngunjiri Wambugu, a perceived insider of President Kenyatta, had on January 4, 2021, criticised Kang'ata's decision to conduct a survey on the report and accused the Murang'a Senator of leaking the letter to the public. He termed the letter as misguided.
"Majority Whip Senator Kang'ata can write a letter to our Party Leader and President criticising a decision the President has made and then not only leak it to the press and share it only but also seek media interviews to discuss it," Ngunjiri argued.
He had further alluded to the Jubilee Party making mistakes while changing leadership changes in Parliament.
Despite a number of governors from the Mt Kenya region coming out to strongly criticise Kang'ata, a section of leaders have lauded his efforts on informing on the BBI report.
Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua urged that Kenyans support the senator, adding that his move was bold.
"Senator Irungu Kang'ata should be honoured and rewarded for rescuing BBI. Senator Irungu Kang'ata’s letter to President Uhuru Kenyatta on his perspective of BBI support in Mt. Kenya region may be the best thing to happen to the Building Bridges Initiative," Mutua stated.
