Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen on Tuesday sparked a passionate debate in the Kenyan Senate after he referred to US President Donald Trump as a 'rogue' leader.
Murkomen was making a speech to welcome officials from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) who were seated in the Speaker's gallery.
Shortly into his speech, he delved into the debate regarding the control of the IMF and the World Bank by the developed countries, noting that recent developments had shown that such countries also have their leadership troubles.
“As the US President is a rogue president, we have witnessed that the more money you invest, the more you command. But, the shareholding of developed countries doesn’t stop the decision-making process,” the lawmaker stated.
The comment did not go down well with some legislators who demanded Murkomen apologises for 'insulting' a president of a friendly country.
According to Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji, the remarks by Murkomen had demeaned President Trump.
Mandera Senator Billow Kerow came to Murkomen's defence arguing that the comments were in public domain.
“Even the US Senate has referred to the president as a rogue president,” Kerow retorted.
The international visitors left as the debate on Murkomen's remarks was ongoing.
From the CORD side, Senate Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula was also supportive of the contentious remarks noting that “referring to someone as rogue doesn’t necessarily imply discussing their personal conduct”.
Despite the passionate defence, Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro demanded the Elgeyo Marakwet Senator to apologise, adding that members who wished to discuss such matters would need to present a three-day notice to his office.
