Police Disperse Mourners, Dismantle Tents In Burial Ruto Was Expected

Police on Tuesday, August 24, disrupted the burial service of Mahoo Ward Member of County Assembly (MCA), the Late Hon Ronald Sagurani in Taita Taveta County.

Police brought down tents and kicked out mourners who had attended the burial service that Deputy President William Ruto was scheduled to attend.

The Deputy President was set to travel to the venue of the service after the completion of his meeting with grassroot leaders and political leaders from Makueni County, held this morning at his Karen Residence, Nairobi County.

The MCA, Ronald Sagurani died on Tuesday, August 17, while undergoing treatment at Pandya Hospital in Mombasa.

The deceased, who died out of complications reported to be arising from Covid-19, became the fourth MCA in Taita Taveta County to die in office in the last two years.

The Mahoo MCA, who was serving a second term in office, got elected to represent Mahoo Ward in the County Assembly on a Jubilee Party ticket.

Allies of the Deputy President reacted to the disruption of the MCA’s event, terming it a move by the “deep state” to frustrate Ruto.

Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro took to his social media account to blame the disruption of the event to the frustration by Ruto’s competitors after the Kimbaa Constituency by-election loss.

“Police under instructions from above have disrupted and brought down tents at the burial service of Mahoo Ward MCA, the Late Hon Ronald Sagurani just because the DP William Ruto was to attend. Machungu ya Kiambaa na BBI iko mingi ( our competitors are angry about the loss in Kiambaa,” wrote the Ruto ally and Member of Parliament.

The former State House Director of Digital Communications Dennis Itumbi took to his Twitter account to confirm the incident and castigated the conduct by police in bringing the burial to a halt.

“Just because DP William Ruto was headed to burial in Taita. The kawaida owners of Kifua (the normal chest-thumping individuals), ” wrote Itumbi.