Gachagua Defends Kipchumba Murkomen Over JKIA Power Outages, Claims Uhuru Bought Fake Generators

• Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has firmly urged Kenyans to stop blaming Kipchumba Murkomen over the failure of JKIA generators
• Gachagua argued that the equipment was expensively bought by the previous administration when Murkomen was not the CS
• He advised Murkomen to consider buying a new generator as well as building an ultramodern airport that would not shame the country

Nancy Odindo, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics, news, and feature stories across digital and print media in Kenya.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has defended Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen against the continued failure of backup generators at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Why did Gachagua stand by Murkomen?

Speaking during the Kimalel goat auction and cultural festival in Baringo county, on Thursday, December 14, Gachagua said the CS played no role in the purchase of the "fage generators" and, as such, could not be held accountable for the power outages.

"I have seen some people confronting Murkomen to resign because the JKIA generator has failed. Was he the one who bought them? It was bought by the previous regime, and it was fake. That is why, when you power it on, it powers off," he asserted.

Praising the CS for his tremendous efforts, Gachagua advised him to fetch a good machine that would quickly restore power supply in case of blackouts.

In addition, he slammed Kenyans for confronting state officials without conducting a background check on what transpired, leading to the unfortunate situation.

"Do not blame leaders for no reason. We found a lot messed up, and we are currently working on cleaning up the messes. Right now, they want us to carry the burden, yet it was them who went and bought an expensive fake generator that cannot hold a substantial amount of load," said Gachagua.

He continued:

"Kipchumba is forced to do a lot of transformation. This gentleman has worked. I would advise him to buy another good generator and build a new and modern airport that would give us respect worldwide."

Murkomen says JKIA was neglected

Murkomen has been on the spot over the poor infrastructure at the national airport, with a section of leaders calling for his resignation.

He, however, distanced himself from the accusations, stating that there had been longtime neglect in the management of the facility.

"When I spoke with the former MD, he candidly told me that there was sabotage all over the place and he was unable to continue dealing with the human resource administration across the place. He said that some people were not doing their jobs. He mentioned that he was not receiving any support from the inter-agencies," said Murkomen.

He also blamed Kenyans for their ignorance about how the generators work after a section of netizens suggested that he take his blanket and mattress next to the JKIA generator so he can swiftly control it whenever there is a blackout.