This archive report was first published on 28 November 2019.
On November 27, 2019, the launch of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report at the Bomas of Kenya was marred by controversy, with Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen questioning the choice of speakers.
Murkomen, a close ally of Deputy President William Ruto, claimed that the event organizers, led by Junet Mohammed, a close ally of opposition leader Raila Odinga, turned the national function into an ODM/Kieleweke event.
“An opportunity was handed to my friend Junet to MC that function but instead of taking advantage of that opportunity to rise above local politics, he converted a national event into an ODM/Kieleweke function,” Murkomen said.
According to Murkomen, only Kieleweke supporters were given a chance to speak, while those from the Tangatanga faction were largely ignored.
“Only Kieleweke people were offered a chance to speak. I can name them, (politicians) Gladys Wanga, Sabina Chege, Anne Waiguru, Hassan Joho, and even (Cotu boss) Francis Atwoli. On the other side of the divide, we only had three people who spoke, including myself, Aden Duale and Kiraitu Murungi,” Murkomen said.
