A letter circulating on a post on X alleges that Kenyan Member of Parliament Oscar Kipchumba Sudi and Cabinet Secretary Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen have been banned from traveling to the United States. The letter, attributed to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Mendoza Jaddou, claims the ban is effective December 1, 2024, at midnight. It further alleges the two officials are under investigation for accepting bribes to facilitate tenders to the Adani Group Limited.
Oscar Sudi and Kipchumba Murkomen wataonea US kwa Viusasa! pic.twitter.com/L9dN4YnMj3
— Cornelius K. Ronoh (@itskipronoh) December 2, 2024
Background
Hon. Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen is a prominent Kenyan politician and close ally of President William Ruto. He currently serves as the Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, a position he was appointed to following a cabinet reshuffle on August 8, 2024. Prior to the reshuffle, he held the position of Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, where he oversaw critical infrastructure agencies, including the Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Railways Corporation, and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority from August 12th 2022.
During his tenure at the Ministry of Roads and Transport, Murkomen drew a significant amount of criticism due to his extravagant lifestyle, leading to intense public scrutiny. His tenure as Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary coincided with the controversial brokering of the Adani-JKIA Group deal in March 2024. The 1.85 B deal was cancelled by the president during his state of the nation address in parliament.
Oscar Kipchumba Sudi, the Member of Parliament for Kapseret Constituency, is an influential figure within President Ruto’s political circle. The second time member of parliament is also known for his multimillion Club in Eldoret, Timba XO. The Kapseret Member of Parliament (MP) sparked widespread debate after flaunting a Sh17 million designer watch during an appearance on the Obinna Show on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
Like Murkomen, Sudi’s luxurious lifestyle have raised eyebrows, fueling rumors and speculation about their financial dealings.
Verification
Official communications regarding sanctions or travel bans are typically issued by credible government entities like the U.S. Department of State and are publicly accessible on official platforms. This letter, however, does not appear on any such platforms and contains notable irregularities in its formatting, language, and signature block. Among the issues are misspellings, such as “Indivuduals” and “cooridination” in the first paragraph, as well as referring to Murkomen as “Onesmus” instead of his correct name, “Onesimus.”
Additionally, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), cited as the issuing authority, does not have the jurisdiction to impose travel bans or coordinate investigations involving bribery, as suggested in the document. Its mandate is limited to immigration benefits, such as processing visas and green cards.

The US Embassy in Nairobi, on its official account on X (formerly Twitter) has labelled the letter as FAKE.
— U.S. Embassy Nairobi (@USEmbassyKenya) December 2, 2024
VERDICT
The claim that MP Oscar Sudi and CS Kipchumba Murkomen have been banned from travelling to the United States is FALSE.
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