Nyikal’s father’s funeral disrupted as rowdy individuals storm venue
By Cynthia Lodite, May 2, 2026The funeral service of MP James Nyikal’s father, the late Mzee Eliud Nyikal Okaka, in Ridore village, Seme Sub-county, in Kisumu County, was disrupted on Saturday, May 2, 2026, after a group of rowdy individuals stormed the front area while chanting political slogans.
The wild chants, with some targeting Siaya Governor James Orengo, started after Kisumu West Constituency Member of Parliament Rosa Buyu took to the stage.
Attempts by local leaders, including Kisumu Governor James Orengo, to intervene failed to calm them down, as only a few leaders were allowed to speak afterwards.
Governor Gladys Wanga was among those who spoke after the disruption and called on the residents to support the broad-based government arrangement ahead of the 2027 polls.
She highlighted various development projects launched in the region, insisting that President William Ruto deserves support for his second-term re-election bid.
However, Governor Orengo, who has been critical of the Oburu Odinga-led ODM faction, failed to speak with preliminary reports indicating that he was forced to leave during the disruption.
Clergy warning
Before political leaders started addressing mourners, Bishop Charles Ong’injo of the Anglican Church of Kenya’s Maseno South Diocese reprimanded the area lawmakers, accusing them of focusing on personal undertakings while neglecting the needs and concerns of the electorate.
Bishop Ong’injo wondered why Nyanza leaders were preoccupied with politics when several issues, including education, were under threat.
“There are pertinent things that we want to hear members of Parliament talking about, and they are silent on it. We have crisis, especially in education. Schools opened last week. Do you know the capitation that went to primary schools? Ksh95 in the first account, and Ksh23 in the second one, per child. I don’t know whether it is for a term or for a year. And you expect the teachers to run schools. You are the ones making laws. You are the ones passing the budget. You are not talking about this,” he said.
Ruth’s rallying call
Before the disruptions, Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga had called for urgent reconciliation within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, warning that ongoing internal divisions could weaken its political strength ahead of future elections.
Ruth dismissed the emerging “Wantam” and “Tutam” camps within ODM, instead positioning herself firmly in what she described as the ideological path of her late brother, Raila Odinga.
“We have been told not to say wantam or tutam, but I want to make it clear that for me, I am not in either wantam or tutam. I am in what we call Tam Raila Amollo Odinga,” she said.
“Raila Odinga led us with a legacy, and if we want to be good people, we should come together, the wantamers and tutamers. We must build one ODM,” she insisted.