MP Nabulindo, Echesa summoned by council of elders over funeral chaos

The Wanga Council of Elders has summoned Matungu MP Peter Nabulindo and Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa over chaos at a funeral.

The two are to appear before the council under the traditional Wanga Kingdom over chaos at a funeral in a bid to uphold discipline and peace.

The move comes a few days after 100 people, including seven police officers, were injured and properties worth millions destroyed on Saturday after supporters of rival political leaders in Kakamega County clashed at the burial of former Chibanga Chief Agostino Odongo.

The agitated elders on Monday urged the duo to appear before the council without fail to appease the disgruntled spirit of the dead who was shown disrespect, warning of dire consequences in case they fail to honour the summon.

“As elders, based on the bereaved family’s complaints and version, Nabulindo and Echesa should be held accountable for the violence. We have recommended that those who planned and were involved in causing chaos should come before the elders together with the late Chief’s family to seek forgiveness from the family for what they did to appease the spirit of the dead,” said Andrew Okumu, Chairman of Wanga Council of Elders.

He added, “If possible, they are supposed to foot for the expenses and damages the family incurred due to chaos and also to pay for the treatment bill of those who got injured during the fracas.”

The elders warned of unspecified dire consequences if the two failed to appear for accountability and discipline before the council.

“As elders, we have done our investigations into the matter and the findings corroborate with that of the family that the lawmaker Nabulindo and Echesa were behind the violence, and as a council, if the duo fails to come, we have the repercussions we are going to take against them, and we do not want to reveal at this early stage,” said Okumu.

Odongo said the Luhya tradition demands and calls for a peaceful burial, stating that they will bar politicians from speaking at funerals, arguing that the altercations have brought shame to the Wanga and Luhya communities.

The Council of Elders pledged to support Governor Barasa in delivering and transforming the county, urging all leaders to support and give him ample time to work, stating that they are satisfied with the county boss's development performance.

“Any leader who wants to vie for the governor seat should wait until 2027 when we will have general elections but not to bring chaos in funerals. Our governor will be judged based on his scorecard, and as elders, we are satisfied with his performance he has done well despite the erratic disbursement of funds from the national government,” said Okumu.

The elders urged police officers to conduct thorough investigations to ensure the perpetrators of violence are brought to books while at the same time urging security agencies to heighten their surveillance and intelligence to avert any chaos in public functions in the future.

Julius Nyarozo, a member of the Wanga Council of Elders, maintained that peace and harmony in the Luhya community are paramount and any plans by anyone to cause violence, especially in funerals, must be stopped at all costs.

“We have summoned the two, and we will continue summoning more leaders propagating violence in solemn events like funerals. As a community, we hold burial and the dead with high regard, and any shame and embarrassment in funerals and other cultural events must be put to an end,” he said adding, “This is why we have taken this decision to call leaders to order and know there are consequences if they happen to go against our laid cultures and doctrines”.

On Wednesday, Echesa appeared before the DCI in Kakamega town, where he was grilled for over 30 minutes.

Echesa distanced himself from the fracas saying it erupted when the supporters of the politicians allied to the governor and MP clashed and therefore not his supporters.

“The leaders attended the burial in the company of their supporters and it is when the two opposing sides clashed but I want to urge our youths to maintain peace and for politicians to stop flexing muscles in funerals and instead serve our people,” said Echesa.

Reached for a comment over the chaos, MP Nabulindo did not answer calls nor respond to text messages.

Western Region Police Commander Kiprono Langat on Monday summoned Governor Barasa, Nabulindo, and Echesa to appear before DCI to record statements, revealing that police had already arrested two people involved in the chaos.

The bereaved family, however, suffered a huge blow after the SHA events company demanded Sh1.5 million in compensation for damages.

In a letter dated February 10, 2025, addressed to the family, the event company demanded Sh640,000 for eight LED screens, Sh320,000 for four speakers, Sh150,000 to cater for the damaged microphone, and Sh160,000 for damaged red VIP chairs.

The company is blaming the family for failing to provide security and a secure environment for the hired properties.

The Spokesperson of the late Chief Odongo’s family, Patrick Lutta, on Monday, returned a bull and Sh10,000 to MP Nabulindo and Sh50,000 to Echesa as contributions, stating that the assistance was not extended to the family in good faith.