Gikuyu elders Wednesday distanced the community from sentiments made by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga that seemed to celebrate the death of former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga.
The elders who visited Raila’s grave at Kang’o ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya county said the Gikuyu community were equally touched by the death of the former premier, who they praised as a man who stood for peace and unity of the country.
Led by Ndia member of Parliament, George Kariuki and the Gikuyu Council of elders’ national director for culture, Kigochi Waimiri, the elders said that the community should not be associated with any negative and insensitive sentiment made by an individual.
“We do not want to be associated with any insensitive and ugly sentiments voiced out there,” said the Ndia MP.
Kariuki said Raila was at the fore front of ensuring that Kenya picked up economically and that everybody was on boarded in terms of development, education, health and social growth.
He said that the former prime minister had many opportunities to make Kenya disintegrate, but never misused the opportunities.
“Every time the opportunity presented itself, he used it to unite people of Kenya,” added the MP.
On his part, Kigochi said as elders from all the central Kenya counties and diaspora, they were at Kang’o ka Jaramogi to mourn a friend of the Gikuyu.
He urged Kenyans to heed Mama Ida Odinga’s call for peace during the mourning period.
“Raila stood for peace and would stand firm to bring peace whenever things seemed to get out of hand,” he said.
On his part, Raila Junior who received the elders thanked them for the visit, saying that it showed that Kenyans were one.
By Philip Onyango
