Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has dismissed claims that he received close to Ksh15 billion in two installments from a Chinese contractor to influence tender award.
In a demand letter directed to Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, CS Murkomen debunked the allegations, insisting they were malicious.
"The said words, in their natural and ordinary meaning, meant and were understood by ordinary, just, and right-thinking members of society to mean that our client has committed the crime of receiving a bribe from China Wu Yi and is corrupt," read the demand letter in part.
"The above words are in fact false and the same were published by you maliciously since you had no scintilla of evidence to believe in their truth either at the time you uttered them or at all," it added.
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Murkomen thus gave Senator Cherargei a 7-day ultimatum to issue an apology and withdraw the allegations which he argued painted him a person with no integrity and who had betrayed the electorates.
Moreover, the CS legal team challenged the Senator to prove his claims or accept liability for defamation.
The vocal senator had accused CS Murkomen of receiving a USD100 million incentive from the said Chinese contractor to freeze out Kenyan businessmen in top tenders in the Ministry of Transport.
Cherargei told a section of the media that the said token was issued between June and October adding that Murkomen used the money to upgrade his lifestyle.
"I want to dare him to tell the country what agreement did he agree on the allegation of receiving a hundred million US Dollars from China Wu Yi, where he was paid an upfront of fifty million, and we have all the facts. We have the flight manifest. We know where the money is in Dubai.
"It is that some of us are keeping what we call distance but it has reached a time that the country must know the truth and that is why he decided to ensure he gets protection from the House so that some of us do not speak and tell the county the truth," Cherargei was quoted in the demand letter.
On Thursday, December 7, Cherargei responded to the demand letter indicating that Murkomen was trying to silence him. He however vowed to fight the suit until Nandi residents get quality roads.
“He tried sending goons and other leaders to try insulting me in funerals, I resisted strongly after realizing that strategy failed he is now rushing to court to try and gag me from fighting for the rights of the people of Nandi,” Cherargei stated.
