What Murkomen achieved in 20 months

Former Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen. [File, Standard]

The article ‘Murkomen: The Sh700 million man with a taste of the finer things of life’ was devoid of any balance and fairness, the core tenets of journalism which any respectable newspaper is expected to uphold.

Clearly aimed at transmogrifying the former Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen into a monster, the article by Graham Kajilwa went about cherry-picking frivolous or outright unfortunate events during Murkomen’s tenure – some of which he had nothing to do with – to paint him in a negative light.

Worse, he didn’t care to give the former CS even a sentence to give his side in the 1,200-word article because he wanted to have a field day.

The author relishes, for instance, the blackouts and leaking roofs at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport without completing the story: That Murkomen fixed these problems.

Had Kajilwa been fair, he would have acknowledged that the airport’s generators have been synchronised with all power systems and regular maintenance programmes put in place and that a permanent roof over terminals 1 B and C is 90 per cent complete.

Had it been a balanced story, readers would also have learnt that during Murkomen’s tenure at Transcom House passengers handled at Kenyan airports increased by 9 per cent from 10.236 million in 2022 to 11.147 million in 2023.

This was largely attributed to the rehabilitation of unserviceable runways and damaged aerodromes and the expansion of national connectivity. This renovation work was carried out at Migori, Kitale, Kabunde and Kakamega airstrips as well as at Diani Airport where he extended the runway after resolving the long-running squatter stalemate.

Business was also revamped at the Eldoret Airport with cargo planes resuming. The minister also resolved the long-running land dispute with a contractor over the Greenfield Terminal at JKIA, paving the way for a new terminal under the Public-Private Partnership model. As he exited office, PPP proposals were being received.

By concentrating on ‘the finer things of life’ and painting a picture of an elitist minister, the reporter also deliberately masked the fact that Murkomen’s modus operandi has always been a consultative one.

If the reporter had cared to look at the former CS’s social media posts which he regularly updated in the interest of accountability, he would have seen his engagements with leaders from all parts of the country on infrastructure challenges in their regions. By the time of leaving office, these meetings had reached 30 out of the 47 counties, and many solutions had come out of them.

In keeping with the frivolous bent of the article, the reporter talks of gold-plated teaspoons in the minister’s office. Government officials do not move around with cutlery. What he refers to are accessories the CS found in office and wouldn’t move out with them.

Roads

Had the reporter sought the former CS’s comment, he would also have learnt that notwithstanding the huge pending bills (currently standing at Sh165 billion) and the low allocation of Sh50 billion in the last two years more than 1,000kms of tarmac roads had been achieved.

Murkomen secured full funding from China for 15 roads (768kms) across the country to the tune of Sh37 billion.

In order to save thousands of roads without a maintenance fund, the former CS carried out public participation and delivered an increase in the road maintenance levy without raising the fuel prices (Kajilwa struggles to explain that indeed fuel prices rose!) Because of this, the incoming minister will have an easier time than his predecessor in delivering quality roads which Kenyans desire and deserve.

To be fair, road crashes were a menace at a certain point during the minister’s tenure, but the reporter writes as if the minister sat gleefully and watched as lives were lost.

In fact, by the time of leaving office, procurement for speed cameras on our highways was at an advanced stage. The ministry initiated other measures to curb road deaths. It connected 25 junctions in Nairobi to Traffic Management Centre with the support of the Korean Government in a bid to ease, monitor traffic behaviour and improve safety. In all, 200 junctions are in the pipeline with the support of Chinese and Korean governments.

Rail transport

Murkomen also jumpstarted the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Malaba and, as he left office, joint mobilisation of resources with Uganda was in top gear.

Meanwhile, the construction of the Mombasa SGR terminus to Miritini MGR Link and the building of Makupa Causeway Railway Bridge is nearing completion. Eight new Metre Gauge Railway locomotives have been bought, delivered and are now operational, while the rehabilitation of 13 MGR locomotives is 80 per cent complete.

As many as 500 assorted freight wagons (280 SGR wagons, 20 SGR reefer wagons and 200 MGR wagons) have been bought, delivered and commissioned while 20 new premium coaches for the Madaraka Express have been delivered.

The CS also improved commuter railway connectivity in Nairobi, including building 11 new stations and beginning the construction of the Ngong-Riruta line which is set to ease public transport on the western part of the city.

Ports

To justify his thesis of a minister in love with the figure Sh700 million, the reporter mentions among other instances the bonus payout to Kenya Ports Authority employees. How did the bonus payout come about in the first place? Efficiency at the Port of Mombasa had improved with the facility being rated at Number 3 and 2 in Africa in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

The CS improved the port’s performance by 12 per cent within just one year, with 1.6 million container units in 2023 compared to 1.45 million in 2022, an 11.5 per cent increase.

Cargo throughput registered in Mombasa improved by 6.2 per cent from 33.88 million metric tonnes in 2022 to 35.99 million metric tonnes in 2023 while the first three berths at Lamu Port have been activated, improving cargo handling capacity and better traffic management.

This is not to mention the operationalisation of the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia (LAPSSET) which had stagnated for years despite its great promise. The CS facilitated the first-ever shipment of goods (60,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser) from the Port of Lamu to Ethiopia in May, creating jobs and improving livelihoods.

Urban mobility

The Cabinet also in June approved the implementation of the Kenya Urban Mobility Improvement Project (KUMIP), whose objective is to improve urban mobility in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area (NMA).

The project will entail revamping commuter rail service, including undertaking feasibility studies and detailed design for the entire 163km commuter rail network in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area and the upgrading of Thika line from Nairobi Central Station to Thika (58km).

The article’s intent appears not to have been to inform the public, but to try and assassinate the character of a conscientious leader who has served his country as a law lecturer, two-term senator, Senate majority leader and cabinet secretary, a duty he gave his all. Let readers be the judge.

-The writer is Murkomen’s communication aide. Email [e-mail]