Drama unfolded in Siaya County during the burial of a student who died in the Garissa attack when mourners blocked Deputy County Commissioner Peter Jumwa from reading President Uhuru Kenyatta’s condolence message.
A member of the County Assembly from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) sparked the disruption, shouting that President Kenyatta had failed and that his condolence messages could not bring back the victims. The ODM representative claimed the government had failed to protect Kenyans and alleged that President Kenyatta was leading the country towards chaos.
Mourners cheered as the ODM MCA criticized the President. Some in attendance shouted, "Uhuru has failed; we are tired of seeing innocent citizens die like dogs. We don’t want his condolence messages."
The Deputy Commissioner eventually yielded to the pressure and did not read the President’s message. He left the podium after being publicly humiliated.
A survivor of the Garissa attack, Christine Anyango, addressed the gathering and recounted the horrors she witnessed, including her fellow students crying for help as they were attacked by Al Shabaab. According to Christine, the attackers shouted, "Tell your President to withdraw KDF from Somalia and ensure that North Eastern belongs to Muslims. Garissa must also be part of Somalia and not Kenya."
