Former Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore has addressed the controversy surrounding a house dispute with Gatanga MP Edward Muriu, saying the matter was amicably resolved.

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations, chaired by Nelson Koech, Bore dismissed the saga as a simple transaction gone sour.

“I don’t understand why he went to the media to make allegations. At the time, I was out of the country working, which is why I wasn’t able to respond. It was a case of a willing buyer and willing seller and a process above board,” Bore told the vetting panel.

She explained that although both parties had signed a sales agreement approved by their legal teams, the deal later collapsed.

“He was selling it at Sh120 million. But Muriu changed his mind along the way and cancelled the deal, and I requested him to give back the down payment I had made,” she said.

The row first came to light in June 2023 when Muriu accused Bore, then Labour CS, of forcibly occupying his Karen residence. 

Days later, Bore vacated  the property after the MP refunded her deposit.

Now facing fresh vetting for the position of High Commissioner of Namibia, Bore defended her new diplomatic nomination following her exit from Cabinet during President William Ruto’s reshuffle in July 2024.

“ This is not a demotion, it’s a resignation,” she told the committee.

She declared her net worth to be Sh 302 million.

Turning to her prospective assignment, Bore outlined her priorities if confirmed as Kenya’s envoy to Windhoek. She highlighted economic diplomacy as her key focus, with a pledge to strengthen trade and investment ties between Kenya and Namibia.

“My first focus area would be economic diplomacy. I would want to engage Namibia on trade and investments—we should open up our markets, particularly for agricultural products,” she said.

She also committed to addressing challenges faced by Kenyans living in Namibia, particularly limited access to consular services. Currently, many Kenyans must travel to South Africa to process passports, IDs, and birth certificates.

“If approved, I will work towards bringing consular services closer to Kenyans in Namibia,” she assured.

Bore noted that Kenya and Namibia’s relationship dates back to 1964, with the first Joint Cooperation Agreement signed in 2018, followed by several bilateral deals.

With over 33 years in public service, Bore previously served as Labour CS from 2022 to 2024 and as Kericho County Woman Representative from 2017 to 2022.