Sifuna blasts Murkomen’s mode of arrival at Utumishi Girls Academy following tragedy
By Mabonga Makhanu, June 3, 2026Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has faulted Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over his mode of arrival at Utumishi Girls’ Academy following the tragic fire incident.
While speaking on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, the outspoken senator stated that Murkomen’s arrival at the school was embarrassing and sent the wrong message to the public.
“Everybody saw how he arrived at Utumishi on the morning of the fire incident. We were embarrassed as the leaders of the country,” Sifuna stated.
Sifuna went on to link the tragedy at Utumishi Girls, which claimed the lives of 16 students, entirely to government failure. He argued that it is the responsibility of the state to guarantee the safety and security of its citizens.
Citing Murkomen’s past remarks that the government’s surveillance system is tied to every political figure and that authorities always know where they are and what they are doing, Sifuna questioned why the same level of surveillance and monitoring is not applied to schools to help avert such tragedies.
He further wondered why the surveillance capabilities that Murkomen often boasts about could not be extended to learning institutions to protect students and prevent the loss of lives witnessed at Utumishi Girls.
Orwoba faults Murkomen.
Former nominated senator Gloria Orwoba had earlier taken a similar position, criticising Murkomen’s mode of transport to the school.
She argued that instead of using a vehicle for what she described as a one-hour journey from the city, the Cabinet Secretary opted for air transport, which, in her estimation, could have cost up to Ksh350,000. According to Orwoba, the money could have been used to purchase fire extinguishers and other safety equipment to help prevent future tragedies.
Sifuna further maintained that it was the government’s responsibility to safeguard the lives of the young students who died in the inferno but failed to do so.
DCP calls for Murkomen’s resignation.
This comes days after theDemocracy for Citizens (DCP) party also took issue with Kipchumba Murkomen over the tragedy. The party argued that the Cabinet Secretary should take responsibility for the deaths at Utumishi Girls and called for his resignation.