Has Murkomen joined Raila’s Resistance Movement?

A photo widely circulated on social media on Sunday morning in which Senate Majority leader and Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen was spotted in a hat branded with Resist, a slogan recently coined by Nasa to push its economic boycott, has left several Kenyans wondering whether the Jubilee bigwig has crossed the floor.

Through the Twitter handle, ODM party director of Communications Mr Phillip Etale posted the image portraying Mr Murkomen as having succumbed to the pressure to resist.

“That moment when is irresistible. Kipchumba Murkomen knows better,” Etale tweeted Sunday morning.

In October after the National Super Alliance morphed into the National Resistance Movement Senator Murkomen and some Nasa leaning MPs roughed up each other at Panafric Hotel in Nairobi, thanks to the differences in their political ideologies.

Opposition legislators led by Suna East MP Junet Mohammed had earlier called a press conference to comment about the repeat poll which they said was a sham and had that it flopped terribly due to the poor turnout witnessed in some parts of the country.

Before finishing their address, Jubilee leaders led by Senate majority leader and Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen started arriving at the same venue, also ready to give their own update about the poll.

While addressing the media, Mr Murkomen condemned the violence witnessed in some of the country especially in Kisumu, Migori, Siaya and Homa Bay counties.

In a peace plea, Mr Murkomen advised Kenyans, especially the youth, not to fight because of politicians, saying while the leaders appear at loggerheads in public, they are friends in private.

“I want to tell Kenyans not to fight because of politicians. We are friends. We help each other and even right now the Nasa MPs are taking tea on my bill,” Mr Murkomen said with a light touch.

Unknown to him, the Nasa leaders were still within the hotel taking tea and watching his live press conference and the statement irked them.

Led by Mathare MP Anthony Oluoch, the MPs stormed the Jubilee press conference that was being beamed live on TV stations and stopped Mr Murkomen from continuing with his address.

“It is very wrong for Mr Murkomen to tell the whole country that he has bought tea for us…the comment is in bad taste and is meant to portray the opposition MPs as poor people who are broke,” Mr Oluoch said.

The lawmakers have since ‘reconciled’.