Why Senator Murkomen is against gov’t lifestyle audit

Senate Majority Leader and Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen says the lifestyle audit on public officers which was sanctioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta a few weeks ago does not make sense.

Appearing on Citizen TV’s Sunday Live show, Murkomen, who has openly opposed the planned lifestyle audit on social media, claims the exercise lacks a legal basis and is therefore bound to be abused.

“What is lifestyle audit? As has been said by who… In what legal framework… to be approved by who and to be done by who?” posed Murkomen when the show host, Hussein Mohamed, asked him why he appears to be against the audit.

“Waking up every morning and going to count properties of individuals and comparing with their salaries is not feasible. It does not make sense.”

Murkomen, who claims the audit is a witch-hunt against DP Ruto, added: “Anything that is not anchored in law and without understandable legal procedures is bound to be abused.”

DP Ruto has personally volunteered to undergo a lifestyle audit conflict is simmering in the Jubilee Party with the deputy allies claiming the lifestyle audit is bent on curtailing his 2022 presidential bid.

Murkomen maintains that a legal framework should first be put in place before the audit is commenced.

“We must have a policy paper or draft law be sent to the National Assembly for us to work on it and have something we can give Kenyans and say this is where we are working from,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader and Siaya Senator James Orengo is, however, opposed to the assertions that there is no legal mechanism to effect the lifestyle audit.

“I want to remind those saying that there is no legal framework for the lifestyle audit that in the EACC Act, there are provisions that make it possible for anybody holding property whose circumstance of acquisition cannot be explained, to be required to give account,” said Orengo on Saturday, while speaking at the burial of Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga’s uncle.

“It is a proper legal procedure that can even go through the court process. It is the anti-corruption commission that has been sleeping on its job. Anyone who has stolen public property should be able to be dealt with.”

During the Sunday interview, Murkomen fell short of terming the lifestyle audit as a roadside declaration by the Head of State, claiming that the announcement was “a declaration by Machakos Governor Dr. Alfred Mutua picked by the president days later.”

“Mutua directly made that statement in relation to the deputy president then a day later you people in the media did some sort of lifestyle audit on the deputy president. I honestly believe that statement was actually meant to focus on the DP,” said Murkomen.

On June 1, Governor Mutua, while speaking in Machakos town, called for a lifestyle audit of all leaders in the wake of the financial scandals that have rocked the country.

Two weeks later, President Kenyatta ordered a lifestyle audit for public servants, including himself and DP Ruto during a tour of the Coast region.