Murkomen's firm in trouble over undisclosed info in NYS case

A law firm co-owned by Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen could face sanctions from the Public Accounts Committee after it refused to disclose information on a client who received money from the National Youth Service.

This came up Thursday when Mr Hillary Sigei, the managing partner of the law firm, appeared before the committee.

The law firm received Sh15 million from Out of Box Solutions, a company that was paid Sh90 million from the youth fund accounts.

At the same time, Mr Murkomen set off a war of words with the committee as he described it as a toll station for bribes.

Chairman Nicolas Gumbo said the senator had been peppering him with abusive text messages in the course of the meeting with Mr Sigei.

But asked whether he had sent abusive messages, Mr Murkomen said: “Gumbo should stop playing politics and record a statement with the police if he thinks he has been insulted. He should also disclose the alleged abuses to the public.”

“If PAC is clean and are not acting as a toll station to collect bribes, I challenge them to publish their personal accounts and those of their companies and associates,” he added.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Mr Sigei was meeting the committee after it demanded he submits documents on transactions the law firm did on behalf of Out of the Box Solutions.

Mr Sigei had also been asked to submit the firm’s bank statements, instructions from Out of the Box, invoices used to ask for payment and documents on the land that Out of the Box is purported to have bought in Eldoret for Sh13 million.

But Mr Sigei would not budge and instead sought to educate the committee on aspects of the law he said protected the confidentiality his client.

He accused the committee of politicising the matter and claimed members had been compromised.

“What we are totally against is for the committee to use our firm as a guinea pig for a fishing expedition,” he said.

But Mr Gumbo said that by refusing to provide the documents on the land transaction for Out of the Box, Mr Sigei had failed to prove there was such a deal.

“Out of the Box gave you the money for free. There is no proof that this property was bought,” he said, adding: “If there is anyone trying to politicise this process, it is you and your partner Murkomen, who is sending me insulting SMSs.”

Maara MP Kareke Mbiuki told Mr Sigei he had landed the firm in trouble by refusing to disclose the information.

“If the argument is that accounts of businesses and individuals who have in any way dealt with matters related to NYS whether as investigators, lawyers, businessmen or government agencies need to be randomly sampled, then nothing will stop the committee from leading by example and ensuring that its members, their businesses and their associates provide their accounts to the public for general investigations,” Mr Sigei said.

PAC'S RESPONSE
The managing partner said that from the questions asked at last week’s meeting, it had become evident that giving information to the committee would end up embarrassing their clients.

"The politicisation of this process only serves to undermine our legal practice and business.

"The ultimate result is economic sabotage and to hurt legitimate businesses and the manner in which the committee is proceeding is only serving to scare our clients and potential clients from doing legitimate business with us,” he continued.

He said that while Out of the Box received Sh90 million from the NYS for the work they did for the Planning ministry, it was perplexing that PAC is chasing after the Sh15 million paid to the law firm.

PAC members did not take the accusations lightly.

"You are very young, and if you continue this way, you’ll not go anywhere,” Kangundo MP Katatha Maweu told Mr Sigei.

Mr Gumbo added: “If there is anyone trying to politicize this process it is you and I dare say your partner Senator Murkomen, who even as I speak here is sending me insulting SMSs.

"From the barrage of SMSs I have been getting, it’s like he is watching over this young man here.”