A Simple Act With Deep Roots: How Kipchumba Murkomen Revisited His Past
Most politicians stick to handshakes and scripted speeches, but Kipchumba Murkomen just rewrote that playbook. On June 1st, the Interior Cabinet Secretary sent shockwaves through Baringo County’s AIC Pombo church—not with a grand promise or a campaign trail stop, but with an unexpected car gift. Reverend Chemjor, who once opened his doors to a young, unknown Murkomen in 2002, found himself on the receiving end of a brand-new Toyota Probox, a gesture laced with real meaning and old-school gratitude.
Forget the usual ceremonial fanfare. CS Murkomen wasn’t even physically there. Instead, Mogotio MP Reuben Kiborek was the messenger, driving home not just the car but a story two decades in the making. The air at the Sunday service was thick with surprise and nostalgia. Onlookers watched Reverend Chemjor, usually the calm center of his community, visibly moved as the keys changed hands. For the people gathered in that small church, it was more than just a gift—it was a moment that tied together the past and the present.
Gratitude Ahead of Politics
Back in 2002, Murkomen was on a humble evangelism mission, traveling through Baringo County and leaning on the generosity of locals like Reverend Chemjor. At the time, nobody could have guessed that this young guest would one day rise to the Cabinet and wield this kind of influence. Yet, two decades later, Murkomen’s act served as public proof that old kindnesses aren’t forgotten, even in the tough, shifting world of Kenyan politics.
MP Kiborek, who handed over the car, described the scene as a “full-circle reflection.” People in attendance got an up-close look at a relationship that extends far beyond formal titles and Sunday sermons. It’s exactly the kind of personal touch that speaks volumes in a country where the distance between leaders and everyday citizens too often feels vast.
The choice of a Toyota Probox for the gift was itself telling—no flashy SUV, no ostentatious show. It’s a workhorse vehicle, a favorite for rural Kenyan roads, and a practical addition that’s likely to see as much action ferrying churchgoers and supplies as it is country dignitaries.
But gratitude wasn’t the only message of the day. Murkomen also addressed something heavier—security in the troubled Kerio Valley region. The community is still reeling from the murder of Father Alloys Bett, a Catholic priest whose death sent shockwaves through local parishes. Standing before the congregation, the Cabinet Secretary’s pledge to step up security there wasn’t just boilerplate reassurance. It was a direct response to a community’s pressing need, voiced at a time when the memory of one priest’s murder is still raw.
Moments like these have a way of sticking. And for Reverend Chemjor, now behind the wheel of a new Probox, it’s a reminder that sometimes the gestures that matter most aren’t the biggest, but the most personal—and the ones that wait for years before arriving at your doorstep.
Write a comment