On Saturday, February 8, 2025, as the burial ceremony of Agostino Odongo, a former senior chief, was underway in Chibanga village, Mayoni Ward, Kakamega County, chaos suddenly broke out sending mourners and the clergy scampering for safety.
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa had just arrived at the event accompanied by a huge crowd of supporters and Isikuti dancers to mourn the fallen administrator when his entourage was attacked by people suspected to be supporters of the area MP Peter Nabulindo and former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa.
The ensuing clash saw several mourners, as well as police officers who had been called to provide security at the ceremony, sustain injuries. Also, property of unknown value, such as chairs and tables was destroyed by the unruly crowd.
"They raided the tent where the caterers had set up food to feed the mourners and ate all the food before breaking the plates," said Ms Bernadette Wabuyabo Odongo, the widow of the late senior chief.
The organisers of the event were forced to cut short the funeral programme and bury the deceased hurriedly without the pomp and fanfare they had planned.
Angered by the ugly turn of events at the burial ceremony of the late chief Agostino Odongo, the bereaved family on Monday decided to return all the money and gifts contributed by Mr Echesa and Mr Nabulindo to assist with burial plans.
"We as a family have decided to return all those items, be it be funds or any type of appreciation they had brought us we have not accepted and as a family, we have decided to return all the things," announced Ms Wabuyabo.
Among the things returned was a bull and Sh15,000 that was donated by Mr Nabulindo and Sh50,000 that was given by Mr Echesa.
Police officers move in to quell clashes between supporters of Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa and those of former CS Rashid Echesa during the burial of the late Mze Augustine Odongo in Matungu, Kakamega County on February 8, 2025.
Photo credit: Isaac Wale | Nation Media Group
In addition, the family included a withdrawal fee of Sh200 for each of the M-Pesa transactions on the funds returned to the politicians.
“This should serve as a lesson to the politicians,” said Mr Patrick Luttah, son of the late Odongo.
He said that their father was a respected member of the community who did not engage in politics and his burial deserved respect but the two politicians and their supporters caused confusion and disorder denying the ceremony its decency.
"I am still traumatised by what happened. After all the years we spent caring for our father and showing him respect then someone just decided to throw all that under the drain in one day by using the old man's funeral for political gains. Our father's burial was rushed, not even my mother had a chance to give her tributes," added Mr Luttah.
Western Regional Police Commander Kiprono Langat said they have summoned the three politicians (Barasa, Nabulindo and Echesa) to appear before the regional criminal investigations officer for interrogations.
Mr Langat said they issued summons to the three asking them to present themselves to the police on February 11, 2024, to record their statements.
“We have also arrested two of the youth who took part in the fracas and we are pursuing more to ensure that all those who were used to cause chaos face the law. More than 100 people including police officers sustained injuries and we cannot condone this,” said Mr Langat.
This comes even as elders from Matungu sub-County called on the leaders to focus on serving the electorates instead of engaging in supremacy wars.
Mr Henry Onzee said it is prudent for the leaders to prune, graft and irrigate the crop of leaders we have in the African political spaces, for the common good of employing an agenda-based governance.
“Militant, unscrupulous and egocentric leaders have all the future for themselves as individuals but nothing to offer in terms of shaping a collective destiny for the sickening and dying populations they term as their subjects,” said Mr Onzee.
He yearned for an era when people would prefer switching back to the traditional institutions of leadership as opposed to the hybrid political systems that have been marinated with borrowed political dogma and traits.
