‘We want to give the former minister a befitting burial. We are asking politicians to keep politics out of his funeral,’ says Malumasi
Ten bulls will be slaughtered during the funeral of former Housing minister Soita Shitanda. Funeral committee chairman George Malumasi yesterday said the number could increase depending on the number of mourners. He said about 10,000 mourners are expected to attend.
Shitanda died on Tuesday at Nairobi Hospital after a long illness. He will be buried on Saturday at his Butali home.
“We want to give the former minister a befitting burial. We are asking politicians to keep politics out of his funeral,” Malumasi said.
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya on Wednesday said the county will meet all funeral expenses.
But the national government has also declared it will meet the costs, a move that signalled a likely tussle between the national and county government on who controls the funeral.
Lugari MP Ayub Savula, who relayed the message to the funeral committee on Thursday, said the national government has agreed to pay the entire hospital bill and hire a chopper to transport Shitanda’s body to Kakamega next Thursday.
However, the Nairobi committee chairman Cyrus Jirongo said part of the Sh5.5 million hospital bill has been settled, adding that the county government will pay the balance. “Deputy President William Ruto will preside over a prayer meeting at Shitanda’s home today,” Savula said. He said that Butali Sugar Mills, which Shitanda helped to establish has agreed to supply adequate sugar during the funeral.
Yesterday, Malumasi said the committee resolved all the financial and material support by the two levels of government should be handed over to it to run the affairs of the funeral. “We are ready to be asked to account for every cent spent during the funeral, but we don’t want a scenario where the government will bring people from Nairobi to run our funeral,” he said.
But Savula said the decisions on how the funeral will be run and managed will be left to the family.
He said the family will decide whether the former minister’s body lie in state to Kakamega for viewing before proceeding to Malava.
On Thursday, MPs were asked to contribute Sh5,000 each towards offsetting the funeral expenses.
Shitanda was until his death the Agricultural Development Corporation chairman. He served as Malava MP for 15 years and was expected to play a major role in Jubilee campaigns in Kakamega county and Western in general in 2017. Kakamega UDF secretary Raphael Welimo has said Jubilee has lost a man who could not be easily swayed and who stood by his word. “His death will no doubt cause major political alignments in Western, because he wanted Luhyas to be in government,” Welimo said.
Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe described Shitanda as “a go-getter” who stopped at nothing to get what he wanted as long as it was in the interest of the people.
He said Shitanda was expected to give the political direction in Western ahead of the next general election. Former Shinyalu MP Justus Kizito has said Shitanda’s death will strengthen Jubilee in Kakamega as leaders seek to fulfill his dream of delivering the community to government. Shitanda has been instrumental in fighting for the interest of sugarcane farmers in Western. He is credited with the fight to ensure the establishment of the Butali Sugar Mills.
(+) Kakamega residents say county should not foot funeral expenses
Residents of Kakamega have opposed plans by the county government to offset Soita Shitanda’s funeral expenses. Writer Dennis Weche, activist Musa Ekaya and businessman Ibrahim Muchelule said it is illegal and illogical for the county to use taxpayers’ money to foot the expenses. “The county government should just contribute a top-up towards the funeral expenses, but not take full responsibility of the funeral,” Weche said on his social media page. Ekaya said any money taken from the county accounts will amount to corruption. Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has said his government will cater for medical and funeral expenses of the former Housing minister. Muchelule said Shitanda was not an employee of the county and it is wrong for the governor to take charge of the funeral costs.