POLITICIANS BEATEN BLACK AND BLUE AT A FUNERAL

Mourners were on Saturday forced to flee amidst chaos during the burial of Siaya public service board chairman Dr Elijah Achoch at Ulafu Wath Bar Village, Siaya County.

Chaos erupted disrupting the funeral service after supporters of Siaya governor James Orengo and his deputy William Oduol clashed.

Tension had been building from Saturday morning as a contingent of anti-riot police, armed with batons and teargas canisters were dispatched to the village ahead of the burial. 

Oduol whose relationship with his boss has hit rock bottom was the first to arrive at the funeral at 2.30 pm. 

Bishop John Mark Godia of the ACK, Maseno West diocese was presiding over the burial service before it was brought to a halt.

Governor Orengo, accompanied by the Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi arrived minutes after his deputy.

He briefly spoke with the bereaved family and the clergy before resuming his seat.

The MP would later be handed over the microphone by the Bishop who had cautioned the political leaders against making political statements at the service. 

Atandi made his brief remarks before the Bishop invited the DG to address the mourners. 

However, a section of rowdy youths appeared irked by the Bishop’s move to allow the DG to speak and began heckling. 

The Bishop remained adamant, insisting that all the elected leaders present at the burial would be accorded similar treatment.

The DG had just finished recognising the leaders present, including his boss when a man walked to the podium and grabbed the microphone from him.

The youths from both camps rushed to the podium following the pandemonium.

As they went for each other’s jugular, scared mourners scampered to safety. 

Police had to lob teargas and fire in the air to disperse the unruly youth who kept surging towards where the action was.

Security details of the two leaders as whipped out their pistols.

The Bishop’s plea for calm fell on deaf ears as confusion reigned, taking over a service that had been peaceful hours earlier. 

The area MP tried in vain to plead for normalcy to return as chairs that were used by the mourners briefly turned into tools of war.

The Bishop was forced to abandon the sermon midway. 

The body of the late public service board chairman, a man described by many earlier speakers as an accomplished civil servant who served his County and Country diligently was rushed to the graveyard in a manner that betrayed mourners expectations. 

Orengo made his speech in such a chaotic scene that he couldn’t even be heard in the cacophony.

A public address equipment which was being used was destroyed in the ensuing melee.

Both leaders were later whisked to safety by their respective security details. 

The Governor’s director of Public communications Ben Agina said there were intelligence reports that some goons had been ferried outside Siaya County to the home to cause mayhem. 

“The goons were easily identifiable since they were not from Siaya,” Agina said.

The director noted that the governor’s team was caught in the melee.

He said the governor’s focus is to deliver services to the people of Siaya and doesn’t wish to be distracted by schemes of people who are not interested in the welfare of Siaya residents. 

“The governor won’t allow himself to be dragged into pettiness that is of no benefit to the people of Siaya whose main concern is how the county government can improve their wellbeing,” Agina said. 

He said the County Government is focused on the delivery of services to the people of Siaya.

However, Oduol who spoke to the Star on the phone after leaving the home, condemned the violence that rocked the burial. 

He claimed that over 150 goons had been deployed to heckle him and cause chaos.

Oduol claimed that he had to use alternative routes to access the home after goons were allegedly hired to trail and stop him from attending the burial. 

“It is unfortunate that a funeral can be turned into a battleground by political leaders. I want to condemn what was witnessed at the burial of Dr Elijah Achoch today,” he said. 

By The star