
A political explosion rocked Western Kenya over the weekend when Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale publicly denounced Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen as utterly unfit for his role—branding him a “TikTok phone boy with too much English” and demanding his resignation.
At a funeral gathering in Butere, Khalwale launched his blistering attack, accusing Murkomen of being out of touch with ordinary Kenyans’ security concerns. “Where Murkomen stayed—in that luxurious hotel—security issues don’t happen on a golf course,” he said, exposing a deep disconnect between polished appearances and life-threatening realities on the ground.
Khalwale further described a striking contrast from his own hands-on leadership style. He recalled a recent cattle-theft crisis, where, undeterred by protocol, he immediately mobilized a grassroots response—assembling DCI officers, subcounty commissioners, sub-chiefs, and local chiefs within three days, resulting in the recovery of 47 stolen cattle and a swift justice delivery. “That’s how security should be handled—not from behind hotel walls.”
With violent gang activity surging in Kakamega and Vihiga, communities are demanding leadership that understands grassroots realities. But instead of empathy, they received what Khalwale described as mere style without substance. “Security professionals don’t wear fancy shoes—they wear boots and go to the frontline,” he said.
Khalwale didn’t mince words: “If the President thinks Murkomen can handle security with speeches and silver spoons, he is wrong. We don’t need polished words—we need boots on the ground, hearts with the people.”
He vowed to stand with constituents to end the surge in killings linked to local gangs, promising: “This isn’t a game. I will finish it.”