The political undertones that ran through Jonathan Moi’s funeral

Some of the speeches given yesterday at the funeral of Jonathan Toroitich Moi carried strong political undertones; the country should unite.

And the unity, it seems, should be behind, around, or including a member of the Moi family.

Reverend Silas Yego set the ball rolling when he told politicians in attendance that they were all products of Mzee Moi’s tutelage and patronage.

“All the rest of you passed through former president Daniel arap) Moi’s hands,” he said.

Yego said there was only one exception; Senator James Orengo. Yego banned all politics from the event, but when Orengo’s turn to speak came, he did not obey that ban.

Mr Orengo, who conveyed ODM leader Raila Odinga’s condolences, said he had met Mzee Moi in the morning. He said Moi wanted the country to unite.

With the likes of DP William Ruto in attendance, the target was obvious. “This year is a year when we can talk to each other,” he said.

A few eyebrows must have been raised when Muhoho Kenyatta declared he was delivering condolences on behalf of president, although the DP, Dr Ruto was there.

Muhoho delivered tributes on behalf of both his brother, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his mother, Mama Ngina Kenyatta, whom he describes as ‘our matriarch’.

He was possibly performing a function that should have been the DP’s because the Mois and the Kenyattas are long time friends and associates. But it is also possible that Kenyattas were passing a message that they were bypassing Dr Ruto and opting for Gideon in the upcoming race for State House.

The DP, who represented the rest of government, kept off politics, except the bit about acknowledging that Mzee Moi gave his career a helping hand.

But Dr Ruto did deny the existence of two factions of Jubilee party.

When he was asked to introduce colleagues MPs, Eldama Ravine MP Moses Lessonet introduced a new category, that of former MPs.

Mr Lessonet went out of his way to include Nick Salat, who had already introduced himself, and was running that segment of the event as MC.

Later, Salat fired back.

Ainapkoi MP William Chepkut, in his usual humourous way praised Mzee Moi and made an interesting allusion.

Chepkut said that it was Mzee Moi had raised the status of Kalenjins to where they are. Did he mean that Ruto is yet to make any impact in the community?

“If Mzee Moi were to become a young man again, I would support him,” he said, addressing the DP.

Was he saying that he could now be shifting his allegiance to Moi’s son, Gideon?

And a segment for political party leaders was created, giving the chance to Musalia Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula. There was a hint of politics in all their speeches but nothing concrete or specific.

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