Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has reflected on how his professional path has repeatedly crossed with Transport CS Davis Chirchir, revealing that their relationship dates back to an early government assignment on devolved governance that later evolved into close collaboration within Cabinet.
Speaking during the burial ceremony of Chirchir’s father, the late Mzee Edwin Kipchirchir Koech, held in Bomet County on Thursday, Murkomen said their first formal interaction was in a technical team where they worked closely for about a year, an experience he said shaped his view of Chirchir’s working style.
The event brought together President William Ruto, Cabinet Secretaries, Members of Parliament and other leaders who joined the family in paying their last respects.
“I came to know this family first, the first person I met in this family is Ruben,” Murkomen said, adding that he and Ruben “were appointed by PCs to a committee, a task force on devolved government” where they worked closely for about a year.
Murkomen said his working relationship with Chirchir deepened later when they found themselves in joint political and administrative engagements that brought together different government teams.
“You gave me a responsibility to work with Davis… during that time, your Excellency is when I learned a lot about Davis his organizational skills,” Murkomen said.
He described Chirchir as a highly structured professional, noting that their technical discussions gave him a deeper understanding of his approach to planning and coordination. “Sitting with him during that big cracking numbers, and I understood what was going on in the country,” he added.
Murkomen further said their interaction grew stronger once they both served in Cabinet, especially in areas involving infrastructure development and economic planning, where he said Chirchir played a key role in shaping major government decisions.
“We are standing here as your colleagues in the Cabinet. We admire you a lot. We admire your organizational skills,” he said, praising Chirchir’s contribution in the petroleum, energy, and roads sectors.
He also pointed to ongoing efforts to revive large infrastructure projects valued at more than Sh400 billion, saying recent economic progress reflected reforms initiated through earlier government decisions.
“The economic survey that has been released yesterday is a testimony of the hard work you have put in turning around our country,” he said.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula also addressed mourners, describing the late Mzee Koech as a man who upheld strong family values and played a central role in shaping his household.
Wetang’ula further commended Chirchir for his service in government, saying the country had recorded improvements in both economic performance and security, and urged leaders to strengthen unity and focus on building social cohesion for national growth.
Murkomen concluded by calling for continued cooperation among leaders in government, saying shared work in infrastructure and economic planning had helped support stability and development in the country.