Edwin Sifuna’s statement that saw Governor Wangamati’s supporters go for Raila allies’ throats in Bungoma

Mourners in Kimilili were on Saturday evening treated to drama when supporters of Governor Wycliffe Wangamati and those of ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna clashed at a funeral of businesswoman Eunice Lumonya.

Trouble started when Sifuna was addressing mourners.

Sifuna questioned why Luhya leaders never helped the community.

He said families of the late Elijah Wanameme had to travel to Nairobi to seek help from ODM leader Raila Odinga.

“Odinga has always stood with our people. When the family of Wanameme had legal issues and financial constraints, they had to travel to Raila to seek help despite our local leaders being around,” he said.

From left: ODM SG Edwin Sifuna, Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, Senate speaker Kenneth Lusaka and Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati during the funeral of Eunice Lumonya on February 16, 2019. /JOHN NALIANYA

The statement did not go down with Wangamati’s supporters prompting a verbal exchange within the VIP dais.

This later degenerated into a fistfight between the rival supporters.

Sifuna’s younger brother Peter Katenya was among those seriously injured during the melee.

Wangamati and Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa had to personally intervene to end the fight between the two groups.

Sifuna, who condemned the act, said such political intolerance should not be accepted in the community insisting leaders who encourage such should be shunned.

“Am sad that we have taken political hooliganism this far, let us tolerate each other, we should not attack and injure each other because we differ politically, let everyone speak out his mind,” Sifuna said.

Wangamati and Barasa also condemned the incident and called on supporters of different parties or leaders to exhibit tolerance.

“We came here to accord Eunice a nice send-off but am perturbed by the incident that has just taken place, I don’t want to see such acts,” Wangamati said.

Barasa said that it was unfortunate for such incidences to take place in funerals and asked for political tolerance.

“This is sad, I condemn the act, it portrays a bad picture. Let’s find peace in ourselves and tolerate each other, there is no prize for attacking each other,” he said.

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