Last Word
On Political Orphans
Tieni is what everybody called Atieno, the young lady that was now at the church podium eulogizing her late father. Ochieng wasn’ t sure whether the teary tribute was due to the emotion of loss or the numbing frustration she was experiencing.
In the last ten days, family, friends and former colleagues had been meeting daily to organize what was described as a befitting send off for the fallen hero, and there had been a hive of activity at three well-coordinated venues.
Ochieng couldn’ t help notice that in such events, natural leaders are chosen by consensus to lead the various committees and there seems to be an unwritten law that what they decide to be‘ befitting’ goes and is never debated or queried. becomes his church and there is always a person who will attest that he gave his life to Christ at least three months before his demise.
Those meeting at home, where he shall be laid to rest, are specifically tasked to organize the various village drunks whose unofficial duties include digging the grave and filling it after the coffin has been lowered and who have learnt to be appropriately invisible.
The cohort at his house are usually extended family members who could easily go to the church meeting but choose not to, these are the watchful gatekeepers that are likely to bring up a minor traditional misstep that they feel should be rectified before burial.
service that caters for those who will be unable to travel home, an uncle had dropped a bombshell that threatened to derail proceedings.
It started innocently when the question of who would read the eulogy was asked and people unanimously agreed that Tieni was best suited to carry that mantle as she not only was known to be particularly fond of her father but was also eloquent and personable.
That is when the uncle cleared his throat for attention and declared that he was not in agreement with the decision since Tieni was not a biological daughter of the fallen, he stated that she had come with the mother, the room was stunned into silence.
The pattern was predictable, the meeting in the social hall of the church that his wife was a member of the mother’ s union,
Three days earlier as the committee at the house was finalizing the eulogy and the order of the proceedings for the memorial
It is a good bet that all the sitting ODM members of parliament and senators are a worried lot because they were not elected but selected and are very likely to lose their seats at the next elections as the people get to finally choose their representatives.
Before the meeting could recover, the uncle proceeded to state that he knew of two sons by two different ladies who were qualified to deliver the eulogy and that he had actually taken the liberty to contact both and wished their names be added to the bereaved.
Pandemonium broke loose as a confused Tieni looked at her mother who was looking appalled and distressed by the unwarranted affront. On her part Tieni had never known another father and she certainly did not know she had siblings.
The chairman requested silence, he then calmly but firmly requested the
MAL70 / 26 ISSUE 102