Mourners heckle Ruto allies at funeral over Gachagua's impeachment
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua addresses the media at his official residence in Karen, Nairobi on October 7, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Governor Kihika hard time trying to persuade the mourners to allow her to deliver President Ruto's message of condolence.
- East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega on his part distanced himself from the happenings in the country.
A funeral service in Nakuru County turned chaotic as mourners registered their displeasure with the actions of President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government.
Drama ensued in Bahati sub county on Friday at a burial ceremony after the mourners showed open hostility to political leaders allied to President Ruto following the impeachment of his deputy Rigathi Gachagua by members of the National Assembly.
The mourners expressed their displeasure with the leaders, triggered by a condolence message by the president read on his behalf by Nakuru governor Susan Kihika.
Some Members of Parliament in attendance were forced to cut short their speeches or stay off politics when the crowd started heckling and booing them.
The political leaders had attended the funeral of Bahati MP Irene Njoki's brother Henry Gachie.
When Governor Susan Kihika took to the podium, she had a hard time trying to persuade the mourners to allow her to deliver President Ruto's message of condolence.
The mourners who did not want to hear anything booed as the governor began reading the message, forcing her to plead with them to allow her to complete the message meant for the grieving family.
The county boss was forced to switch to the Kikuyu language to try and pursued them to be patient and allow her to finish her speech, but the crowd, continued heckling whenever the President’s name was mentioned.
After hurriedly reading the President’s speech, Governor Kihika thanked the mourners for giving the government valuable feedback.
“We appreciate you for giving us good feedback and inform us where we have gone wrong for us to rectify," she said.
The heckling started when Ndia MP George Macharia Kariuki started highlighting road projects the government is carrying out across the country.
The MP, who chairs the National Assembly Transport and Infrastructure Committee, said President Ruto’s government has worked hard to ensure all roads across the country are maintained.
East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega on his part distanced himself from the happenings in the country, saying he is based at the regional bloc headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
"I don't want to say much because I am always in Tanzania. So ask me about Tanzania, Arusha and Somalia," he said to the amusement of the mourners.
Other leaders who attended the burial were MPs Oscar Sudi (Kapseret), Betty Maina (Murang’a), Ann wa Muratha (Kiambu), James Githua (Kabete) among others.
Even Ms Muratha’s usual style on excitiung the crowd through solo rendition of songs, did not sit pretty with the mourners who did not sing along.
