The battle for the 2017 presidency is bound to be a hotly-contested one considering incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta will be seeking a second and final term in office, in a race set to feature his fiercest rival, Opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Even so, the wide belief that the contest will be a two horse race has not deterred veteran lawyer Philip Kipchirchir Murgor from throwing his hat in the seemingly crowded ring for the country’s top job.
Mr Murgor has declared he will be in the presidential race on a United Democratic Movement (UDM) ticket and he plans to have a female running mate.
He maintains that only him and neither Jubilee nor the CORD coalition has the freshness the country needs to be ridden from “choking corruption, politics of ethnic exclusion and economic mismanagement”.
Murgor is pleading with President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto to save the country by not offering themselves for re-election next year.
In his assessment of Jubilee's four-year administration, Murgor observed that President Kenyatta had not lived up to the Oath of his Office.
“Governing a complex nation like ours, one needs to approach it sober, with honesty and integrity, and dedicate 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 365 days a year. The issue is simply whether or not president Uhuru Kenyatta has lived up to the oath of his office, has been competent, effective, fair and equitable to all citizens of Kenya. The short answer is No!” he stated.
In a recent interview with a local daily, Mr Murgor, who hails from the deputy president’s home turf of Rift Valley, stated that “the DP is a bad deal. God help us if he becomes president”.
The 55-year old lawyer is the son of powerful KANU figure Charles Murgor who served as Provincial Commissioner and later as MP for Eldoret South constituency.
Philip has been in the rough and tumble world of local and international litigation, gaining invaluable experience as a state counsel, private practitioner and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Iten-born lawyer schooled at the University of Nairobi where he graduated with an Honours degree in Law, followed by a postgraduate diploma from the Kenya School of Law.
Lawyer Philip Murgor (left) and Paul Muite
Interestingly, upon admission as an advocate in 1986, the young attorney did not seek employment in the private sector that offered better terms, but he instead opted to serve as a public prosecutor at the State Law Office earning a meagre salary of Sh5,000.
Among his major briefs in the legal field was to represent then President Daniel Moi in an election petition filed by his opponents in the first multi-party elections in Kenya.
Another of his major briefs was representing Central Bank of Kenya in its bid to recover billions of shillings lost in the Goldenberg scandal.
According to Philip, his most problematic job came when former President Mwai Kibaki appointed him DPP in 2013 – a job he says was unexpected as he neither solicited nor applied for.
He says his selection was informed by his exemplary and steadfast performance in the Goldenberg cases, including the refusal to be cowed by threats from powerful individuals.
“The DPP’s position is the most difficult assignment in Kenya. One ceases to have friends. Can you imagine defending graft suspects in court, socialising with them and then having to prosecute them later as the DPP? They ones will expect favours from you. If you cannot change your lifestyle, turn down the appointment,” he said during a media interview.
Philip has since completed his Master’s degree in Law at the University of Nairobi, specialising in International Trade and Investment Law and is currently a member of the London Court of International Arbitration.
He is also an authorised practitioner at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Lawyer Philip Murgor
