Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua narrowly escaped what could have been a deadly encounter after choosing not to attend the high-profile burial of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Bondo, Siaya County, on Sunday.
Raila Odinga, fondly known as Jakom, passed away last Wednesday in India and was laid to rest in a state burial attended by President William Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta. The solemn ceremony took place at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University in Bondo.
However, Gachagua was among the few prominent leaders who skipped the burial of a man celebrated as the father of devolution and democracy in Kenya. Interestingly, the former Deputy President spent the same day celebrating his wife Dorcas Gachagua’s birthday.
According to his aides, Gachagua declined to attend the burial or visit the Odinga family after receiving intelligence reports suggesting that certain elements within the government and some ODM loyalists were plotting to embarrass and physically assault him in front of cameras.
Nyandarua Senator John Methu, a close ally of Gachagua, claimed that several ODM Members of Parliament had allegedly mobilised goons to heckle and harass the former Deputy President if he dared to show up at the burial ceremony.
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