Nyeri governor’s funeral to wait until son finishes KCSE exam
Nyeri Governor Wahome Gakuru will be accorded a State funeral, a national committee planning his burial has announced.
The team co-chaired by ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru and Council of Governors chairman Josphat Nanok held its first meeting yesterday in Nairobi and set the tentative burial date for November 18.
Dr Gakuru’s son is sitting his KCSE exams and is expected to be through by the set date.
During a press conference at the CoG headquarters in Nairobi, the committees said they had the concurrence of the family.
“He was a sitting governor and therefore this will be a State funeral. This is why we are taking all the protocols and ensuring it is done correctly,” Mr Mucheru said.
Dr Gakuru died in a road crash on Tuesday morning when his official vehicle hit a guard rail at Makenji near Kabati on the Murang’a-Sagana Road.
His personal assistant, Mr Albert Kaguru, and his bodyguard, Corporal Ahmed Abdi, were severely injured on their legs and arms and were taken to the Aga Khan hospital.
FUNERAL EXPENSES
According to Mr Nanok, who is also the Turkana governor, the State in collaboration with the CoG and Nyeri County Government will cater for all funeral expenses.
Two other committees, the county and family, will work together with the national government to ensure the scholar and former director of Vision 2030 is accorded a befitting send-off.
The county committee will be co-chaired by Nyeri deputy governor Mutahi Kahiga and Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu assisted by Senator Ephraim Maina.
Mr Kahiga was to be sworn in this afternoon but county spokesman Muthui Kariuki announced that the ceremony had been cancelled on the advice of the Council of Governors.
Mr Nanok assured that plans for succession will be taken care of, noting: “The due process of the law will be followed. But the fact that we are in this situation will also be taken into consideration.”
He said that dates for church services in Nairobi and Nyeri would be announced in due course as they were still consulting with the family.
Tributes to Dr Gakuru continued to pour in, with Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi and former Nyeri Senator Mutahi Kagwe eulogising him as an industrious leader who had grand ambitions. Mr Kagwe added that no accolade exceeds that of Dr Gakuru being an intellect, a devoted father and a patriot of our great nation.
Other leaders at the briefing were: Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohammed and governors Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka-Nithi), Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru), Paul Chepkwony (Kericho), Mwangi wa Iria (Murang’a) and Joyce Laboso (Bomet).