Writes Ndira-Uradi
The Chairman of the Luo Council of Elders “Ker” Meschak Riaga Ogalo has expressed fear about the escalating act of violence inside Luo-Nyanza and appealed to politician and their supporters to restrain their followers from actions that cause insecurity in the area.
KER RIAGA OGALO PHOTO
He was reacting to an incident which took place Sunday in hi own backyard of Oyugis where mourners including a cabinet Minister were forced to scamper for their safety as fiercest fighting between the two different political camps raged.
The incident left score of youth seriously injured, while highly respected dignitaries were forced to flee the homestead of the former chairman of Oyugis Town Council, the late Coun. Ogweno Ong’ondo. The incident occurred at Kaditong’e in Kachien Location, Kasipul-Kabondo with the County of Homa-Bay.
Ker Ogalo said the burial of a departed soul, according to Luo traditional, culture and norm, is a, exclusive solemn ceremony for close members of the deceased families, and does not require the importation of a large number of political goons and hirelings from other arts of the region.
Ker Riaga blamed the alarming increases in the spate of violence at funeral places .These incidences have resulted in serious injuries being sustained by innocent mourners, particularly aged men and women as well as children. The practice must come to and end immediately.
Mzee Riaga blamed the escalating violence in funeral homes in Luo-Nyanza on the recent emergence of political brokers and hirelings who are reportedly hired and imported to funeral homes by politicians who hires them to distort the characters of their perceived political enemies.
‘”At times these hirelings are openly engaged in speeches which amounted to characters assassination. They are not genuine funeral goers, but hired specifically to speak on behalf of their invisible masters to distort the characters of their perceive opponents either real or imagined, “said Ker Riaga.
The hireling have been seen addressing each and very funeral gathering, one or two being so famous of roaming the entire Homa-Bay County and demanding to be allowed to address the mourners, and in the exercises engaged in attacking the characters of personalities and aspirants for the various elective positions within the County governance, parliament and senate.
Luo culture and customarily law requires anyone who is over 40 of age to strictly attend the funeral of either a close relative or personal acquaintance. The guest mourner is only allowed to address other mourners if he or she is personally acquitted to the deceased or had blood relations, but no Tom Dick and Hurry. And even in such a situation the permission of the family must be obtained before the visitor is allowed to address the mourner. But of lately these political hirelings on hire have been heard speaking in almost every funeral even of those persons who are aliens to them.
It is a very unfortunate state of affairs that these hirelings do invite themselves to funeral homes for the purpose of attracting handouts from politicians and food from the deceased families thereby over-burdening them.
Ker Riaga appealed to politicians in Luo-Nyanza to stop the use of funeral gathering as political platform and to humble themselves to one another, particularly during this yea of general election so that they could maintain their unanswered unity and vote as a bloc. In this way the community could succeed in realizing their political ambition in voting in the next president of their own choice.
“Hiring goons to hurl insults at opponents could cause breaches of peace, hindering the best component of peaceful development”, said Ker Riaga who revealed that he missed the last Sunday incident, which took place only six kilometer away from his rural home by a whisker because he had traveled to Ndhiwa at the invitation of the Assistant Minister for the Internal Security Joshua Orwa Ojode who ha organized a New Year party his Unga home near Ndhiwa Town.
Ends