Cord leader Raila Odinga is expected to meet Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro
today
at the burial of the Kaya elder Pekeshe Ndeje in Rabai.
This will be the first public meeting since Mung’aro, who is considered a rebel and betrayer in ODM and Cord, was relieved of his duties as the minority whip in the National Assembly about three weeks ago.
Ndeje succumbed to diabetes last Saturday at the Coast General Hospital.
Raila, whose attendance has been confirmed by his personal assistance Dennis Onyango, will also come face to face with his former friend turned-foe Najib Balala, who has called for arrest and prosecution of individuals, including Raila, over the Lamu land saga.
Onyango yesterday said Raila will lead tens of opposition MPs, senators, governors and MCAs to the burial in Kwakijala in Rabai constituency.
Raila will be in his first visit to Coast since he defied local leaders’ pleas against replacing Mung’aro with Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu as opposition chief whip.
The move has since alienated him from the Coast MPs, especially from the populous Mijikenda community.
Speaking on the phone from Nairobi, Onyango said: “I can confirm to you that Mzee will be attending the burial in Rabai to accord Mzee Pekeshe his last respects and thereafter head to Kilifi for a social function the same weekend.”
Controversy has surrounded the life of Pekeshe who died aged 90.
His death has sparked rows of division from the Kaya leadership he claimed to represent, his family and the political arena where he dined with the high and mighty.
Coast MPs, especially those backing Mung’aro, met at Bahari Beach Hotel yesterday to arrange a political onslaught on Raila.
Ganze MP Peter Shehe, who chaired the meeting said they need to face the former PM as a united front.
“We are meeting at Bahari Beach Hotel to plan a strategy on matters politics because we want Raila to know tomorrow
that we have unity of purpose in our push for political demands,” he said on the phone.
By the time of going to press, Pekeshe’s Mwandeje clan was in dispute over where to bury him despite one of his sons, Rodgers Pekeshe, insisting the ceremony would go on as planned.
He said they expected clan elders to resolve the issue amicably.