Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali has denied blocking the mother of his son who died in US from participating in funeral arrangements.
Shinali said claims by Petronilla Munyasa that she has been stopped from travelling to the US are misleading. He accused Manyasa of seeking attention.
Chris Masaka, 35, a US Marine, died in Arizona State on July 26 while on holiday with his family. There are reports that he drowned while trying to save a child in a swimming pool.
Shinali who spoke to the Star yesterday from US said they are making preparations to transport the body of his firstborn son to Kenya.
The MP said that he travelled to the US alone because Munyasa did not have a passport.
"I have not seen her [Manyasa] for the last 35 years. The child was brought to my home when he was in Standard 8. Her family demanded payment for raising him. I paid the family cash and started educating the boy," he said.
"Let her clarify if she had tried to apply for a passport and I failed to intervene. If she has been blocked from travelling to the US then its the government, and not me," he said.
Under Luhya customs, a man must pay a cow before being given a child raised by the mother and her parents. In this case, Shinali said he gave them money but did not say how much it was.
Shinali said he cannot recognise Manyasa because he had not communicated with her for the last 35 years.
"When we got reports about my son's death, she sent her brothers to my home. We had a cup of tea together before I left for the US. It is wrong for her to say that I have shut her out because I don’t have her contact,” he said.
Munyasa claimed she was in the dark over her son's funeral plans. She wants to be involved in the funeral arrangements. She also wants to be part of the people to be compensated. Munyasa said that Shinali impregnated her before she joined Form 1.
The MP said prior to his son had been given an assignment in the Democratic Republic of Congo. By the time of his demise he was on holiday for a week.
Shinali said tentatively, the body will arrive in Nairobi on Sunday and the burial will be held at his Lihrembe home on August 17.
He said the mother is free to attend the funeral of her son. Shinali said Manyasa is also free to participate in funeral arrangement once the body arrives in Kenya.
On compensation, he said the matter would be addressed by his daughter-in-law and her two children and not him or Munyasa.
Shinali said his son was in Kenya in December when he went to pa dowry for his wife.
