Kakamega: Bereaved Family Hit With Sh1.5M Bill For Damages After Echesa-Barasa Chaos

The family of a retired Mumias chief, Augustino Odongo, whose burial in Matungu constituency was disrupted last Saturday by chaos allegedly sponsored by politicians, is now staring at a Sh1.8 million bill slapped on them for damage caused.

Shan Events, the company that had been engaged to organise the event now wants the family to compensate it for the equipment and other items damaged during the chaos.

The company says the family, as the host was responsible for providing a secure environment conducive to their service provision and thus is responsible for the losses incurred.

Safety measures

“As you are aware, chaos erupted during the event, leading to the loss and damage of equipment that was vital to our service delivery. The losses incurred have been assessed, and the total value of the damaged and lost equipment stands at Ksh.1.8 million,” a letter by the Shan Events Operations Manager Abraham Odhiambo Otieno to the family reads in part.

The firm pointed out that failure to ensure adequate safety measures resulted in the losses, therefore demanding compensation in the sum of Sh1,561,850. The demand gives a fourteen-day timeline, from the date of the notice.

Others damaged property that the firm wants compensated are 161 broken plastic chairs valued at Sh136,850, 20 VIP Red Banquet Chairs worth Sh160,000 and one VIP wooden chair, which costs Sh40,000.

The late Odongo’s family spokesman Patrick Lutta said they still don’t know where they would get the money to compensate Shan Events.

“We have found ourselves in a very unfortunate situation where we are being asked to pay for things damaged by goons brought in by some politicians. As a family, we don’t know where we are going to get the money,” Lutta said.

Meanwhile, Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa and Matungu MP Peter Oscar Nabulindo are yet to honour police summons to record statements over the chaos, which broke out last Saturday.

The two had not reported to the DCI Western regional headquarters in Kakamega town by yesterday afternoon.

The Western Regional Police Commander Kiprono Lang’at had directed the duo alongside a former Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa to appear before the DCI headquarters to shed light on the fracas.

Several police officers and over 100 mourners were injured during the funeral when supporters of the trio clashed.

Echesa presented himself to the police for grilling on Wednesday and distanced himself from the chaos.

“I am a law-abiding citizen and I have no interest in Matungu because I hail from Mumias West Constituency. I had gone to attend the funeral due to my closeness to the deceased and his family,” the former Sports CS said, adding that he was equally surprised when a section of the mourners started heckling and booing before fighting broke out.

“I did not incite anyone to cause the chaos and even personally intervened to calm the situation,” he added.

Embarrassment

In the letter signed by Patrick Lutta, Evans Odongo, Shadrack Odongo and Chrisanthus Odongo, the late chief’s family had termed the fracas as an embarrassment to the Bashitsetse clan of the Wanga sub-tribe.

“The conduct witnessed on that day, attributed to individuals associated with you, was not only a gross disrespect to our family and the Wanga community at large, and particularly to the Abashitsetse clan (to which you both belong) but also a violation of the solemnity of a funeral ceremony,” they added.

They said the goons had strategically been positioned at the funeral with the sole intention of heckling selected individuals including Governor Barasa.

The family appeared to exonerate the county chief from blame and addressed the letter to Nabulindo and Echesa while reminding them of refund of their contributions of money and a bull towards the funeral.

But Lang’at insisted yesterday that they still needed to question Barasa and Nabulindo over the melee.