Murkomen threatens to sue Cherargei over bribery claim

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei and Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen.

Transport and Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has threatened to sue Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei over a Sh15.3 billion bribery claim.

In a November 29, 2023, letter Murkomen accused Cherargei of defaming him after he alleged that he collected over Sh15.3 billion ($100M) bribe from a Chinese Company, China Wu Yi early this year.

He demanded that Cherargei should apologize publicly within a week and failure to do so would see legal action taken against him.

"The said offensive words tend to lower the reputation of our client in the estimation of the ordinary, just and right-thinking members of the society," reads part of the letter.

"Accept liability for defamation to give way to negotiations and tender an unqualified apology in writing to our client through the same channels through which you published the offending words."

The letter adds that the lawyers failure to comply with their demands will see the institute court proceedings against Cherargei without any further reference to him at his peril as to costs and other incidentals attendant to such court action.

The said defamatory words were uttered by Cherargei at the Senate when the CS had been summoned to give a status update on roads and other infrastructures in the country.

Cherargei claimed that from the bribe, Murkomen had already taken half of the money amounting to over Sh7.6 billion after visiting China between June and October and was to collect the rest later.

He alleged that the money had been stashed in Dubai adding that he could even provide the evidence.

Cherargei claimed that the bribe was the reason why Murkomen has been advocating for Chinese contractors to get construction contracts within the country.