This archive report was first published on 21 October 2019.
Murkomen's Dam Dilemma: A Cry for Transparency ¶
On October 21, 2019, Senator Kipchumba Murkomen took to Twitter to express his disappointment over the cancellation of Kimwarer Dam and restructuring of Arror Dam projects in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
According to Murkomen, the President's decision to discontinue Kimwarer dam was based on a technical committee's report, which found that the water supply would involve pumping, making the project financially unsustainable in the long run.
However, the Senator argued that the technical committee's composition did not reflect ethnic and regional balance, and that they did not consult anyone or carry out public participation.
"The report of the cancellation of Kimwarer Dam and restructuring of Arror Dam does not come to me as a surprise. As I have always said, the plan all along was to kill the projects," Murkomen said.
He further stated that the people of Elgeyo Marakwet County were consulting and would do everything within their means to ensure that justice was not only done, but seen to be done to their people.
Murkomen's tweets appeared to be sending subliminal shots at President Uhuru Kenyatta and the technical committee, calling for a transparent team with a national outlook to evaluate the projects.
"We are consulting, as the people of Elgeyo Marakwet County, and we shall do everything within our means to ensure that justice is not only done, but seen to be done to our people," the Senator said.
