Leaders in public spat over resignation of IG

Supremacy battles and blame games have emerged in Elgeyo Marakwet pitting county leaders over a raft of issues.

Governor Alex Tolgos and Marakwet East MP David Bowen blamed Senator Kipchumba Murkomen for orchestrating the removal of former Inspector General David Kimaiyo from office.

Kimaiyo hails from the same area with Bowen and Murkomen, but are separated by villages in Marakwet East.

"Murkomen declared in public and at the Senate that he will prevail upon the President to remove Kimaiyo from office because of insecurity. Why did he have to say that?" asked Tolgos in an interview with The Standard.

Bowen echoed Tolgo's sentiment saying Kimaiyo was used as a sacrificial lamb in the insecurity menace dogging the country, saying Murkomen had a hand in his resignation.

"The issue of Al-Shabab and it's external aggression is the work of the Kenya Defence Forces," said Bowen.

Supremacy battles

In reaction to a story that appeared on The Standard on Saturday, Murkomen took to social media and attacked Governor Tolgos, saying he needs prayers since he does not know what he was doing.

"Dear Lord, forgive my Governor for he doesn't know what he is doing. He says nothing, does nothing and delivers nothing. I look forward to the day he will be launching projects completed with the billions we allocated to him in the Senate. For I ask this humble prayer in your blessed name," read a post in the senator's official Facebook account.

"I stand by my statement because accountability should not mean I am fighting anybody, or interpreted that I am engaging in supremacy battles," Murkomen said in an interview.

United Republican Party chairman John Kangogo called for truce among the leaders saying the in-fightings had gone overboard.

"Leaders should desist from public disparage and handle their personal issues in a civilised way," he said.