Mourners scampered for safety in Makutano village in Bungoma after two men clashed over a dead woman’s body.
The current and former husband of die hard Jubilee supporter Catherine Naliaka, alias Mama Brenda, had a bitter falling out during her burial.
Naliaka’s husband Tom Wekesa moved mourners to tears when he narrated how he struggled with his sick wife. He thanked Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka and former Bungoma governor for helping him offset the bill at Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret.
Drama started when the master of ceremony invited Naliaka’s former husband Davis Barasa, with whom they sired five children.
Barasa said domestic quarrels led to their break up.
He said they lived happily at their ancestral home in Maanga village, Webuye West constituency. However, things started changing when they moved to Kanduyi market.
“It was not an easy decision for me to allow another man to bury my wife. After all, he only has one child with her. I made a bold decision but it is still painful,” he told mourners.
Relatives and mourners attempt to cool down tempers at Catherine Naliaka’s funeral in Bungoma on Friday, October 19, 2018. /BRIAN OJAMAA
At this point, a furious Wekesa sprang to his feet and charged at Barasa. But mourners and relatives restrained him. Barasa was whisked away to cool things down.
Jubilee leaders Lusaka, Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, Bungoma youth coordinator Evans Kakai and former Woman Representative Reginalda Wanyonyi watched in disbelief. Area MP Wafula Wamunyinyi of Ford Kenya was also present.
The leaders’ bodyguards were on alert for fear that the situation could degenerate out of hand. The burial programme was stopped for a while because of a downpour. After the rain ceased, speeches continued.
Since Naliaka died, there had been a stand-off between Wekesa and Barasa. The matter almost ended in court. However, the burial committee chairman Pius Ndumba prevailed on the two to find an amicably resolved.
Naliaka was a renowned businesswoman in Kanduyi market. She sold fruits and vegetables.
She was also a frequent caller at Sulwe FM, a vernacular Bukusu radio station, where she criticised government failures. She also praised the government for good work done.
-Brian Ojamaa
