A blatant breach of protocol played out during the burial of National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah father’s burial attended by President William Ruto on Monday September 15.
During the occasion Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi was denied a chance to welcome guests as the host county chief – which is the norm – but instead the role was taken over by his Embu counterpart Cecily Mbarire, in what observers say was utterly unprocedural.
This unfolded during the burial of Mzee Isaac Ichung’wah, the late father of Ichung’wah, the MP for Kikuyu constituency. It lay bare the bitter political rift between Ichung’wah and Wamatangi.
Wamatangi only got a mention from Ms Mbarire, as among the governors present at the occasion also attended by parliamentarians including Senators and Members of the National Assembly, among other dignitaries.
Ichung’wah has been at loggerheads with the governor over Kiambu County leadership issues with the former leading a number of MPs in waging a war against Wamatangi on construction of markets among other issues.
However, the county boss has occasionally dismissed his critics accusing them of salivating for a piece of land surrendered by fruit processing and exporting multinational Del Monte Ltd.
“These people have been pushing me to share out huge chunks of the land to them and their cronies but I have vowed not budge because the land belings to the public,” said Wamatangi previously.
It is noteworthy that Ichung’wah kept off the burial of Wamatangi’s sister who was laid to rest at their Kibiku home in Kabete constituency on Thursday last week.
