Justice Minister Heckled at Lorna Laboso Burial Ceremony

Marco Kiprono, 8, is helped by an unidentified member of the Orange Democratic Movement's Young Women Democrats to carry the portrait of his mother, the late Lorna Laboso, after her funeral service at the Good Shepherd Church on Ngong Road, Nairobi, on Thursday. The remains of Laboso are due to be interred at her Manaret home in Sotik, this afternoon. Picture: Andrew Kilonzi (The Standard)

The funeral of former Assistant Minister has been rudely and temporarily interrupted after a huge crowd that is attending the funeral heckled justice minister Martha Karua. The mammoth crowd threatened to storm out of the ceremony if Hon. Karua was allowed to address the gathering.

It has taken the intervention of Agriculture minister William Ruto who has pleaded with the masses to allow the justice minister to eulogise the late minister. The justice minister, clearly upset at the turn of events, has only said a few words insisting that justice will be applied ‘both ways’, in response to calls for amnesty by some of the speakers who addressed the gathering before her. She has also accused some unnamed individuals of inciting the crowd against her.

The casket bearing the remains of Lorna Laboso, drapped in an Orange cloth, are due to be laid to rest this afternoon at her Manaret home in Sotik District. Lorna died in a plane crash last week at Konjonga area in Narok District alongside Roads Minister Kipkalya Kones and his bodyguard Kenneth Bett whose remains were interred yesterday at his Ndaraweta home in Bomet District. Raymond Moi has read a message of condolence on behalf of his father former President Moi.

The ceremony is proceeding and an anxious Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, cabinet ministers, MPs and provincial administration officials are listening to William Ruto's speech. ODM Captain and Prime Minister Raila Odinga is currently overflying the Atlantic Ocean following his highly successful state visit to the US and is expected to arrive in Kenya later tonight. Speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende is also attending the burial ceremony.

Strangely, for yet to be known reasons, President Mwai Kibaki has kept away from the burial of Lorna Laboso.


Update from Oscar written by Chris @ 4:55 pm Kenyan Time
Whoever organized the programme at Lorna Laboso's funeral in Sotik a few hours ago must bear some of the blame for the heckling that threatened to get out of hand a few moments ago.

Charity Ngilu the minister of water spoke immediately before Martha Karua, the justice Minister. This should not have happened because it is a well known fact that the two are bitter rivals and more so hold very different views concerning the thorny amnesty issue.

True to form Ngilu in her speech brought up the subject of amnesty for the youths still being held in connection to post election violence. Ngilu played to the crowd and was wildly cheered when she said that justice must be done and leaders who called for mass action must also be arrested and if this could not happen then the youths should be released immediately. The truth is that this worked up the crowd and set the stage for what happened next.

When Justice Minister stood up to speak moments after Ngilu had sat down, there was an immediate commotion in the crowd with loud jeers and a section of the crowd even got up to leave. The minister's alert security detail immediately surrounded her fearing that something could easily be hurled from the direction of the surrounding trees from where scores were following the proceedings. Meanwhile the minister could be heard saying; "this was planned."

The late Lorna's mother was quickly brought forward to try and calm the crowd, to no avail. It took the efforts of agriculture minister William Ruto who had to plead with Karua to sit down first while he calmed the crowd. At one point he could be heard telling her, please sit down, I will call you, I promise, I will call you, I promise." Karua appeared determined to address the mourners whatever the consequences.

Ruto managed to calm the crowd and spoke to them at length in Kalenjin. Just as he finished Karua had again rushed to the microphone where she unwisely and emotionally started castigating "the few" who had organized the disruption without naming them. She made matters worse by contradicting what her cabinet colleague had said earlier and saying that justice has to be equal to all because that is what the late Laboso whom she called a friend, stood for. Karua attended her homecoming celebrations barely 2 weeks ago.

Interestingly when Ruto returned and started talking about the same subject of justice and amnesty for the scores of Kalenjin youths being held by police, sources say that the KBC live transmission was mysteriously "cut off" and the live broadcast only resumed when Ruto had finished that "sensitive" part of his speech.

Judging from the mood of the crowd it is rather clear why President Kibaki gave the funeral a miss.

Biggest Casualties of Monster Grand Coalition

As the political grand coalition settles down to work, it is interesting to reflect on the principal causalities of the monster. Two people immediately spring to mind. The PNU iron lady of Kenyan politics is suffering a cute bout of PGCSD- post grand coalition stress disorder. Meanwhile Dr. Frank Njenga is currently heading the team attending to Ms Martha.

Martha is a victim of her own efforts and 'success'. Her loyalty and oily mouth to defend PNU during the first 100 days of 2008 were unquestionable. She exhausted her intellectual reservoir as the public face of fraudulent MV PNU. Where wits and calculative blackmail failed, her crude tantrums came in handy. That she got an unrestrained political kick in the teeth is painful to say the least.

The maverick ex-magistrate must be remonstrating and cursing under her breath what generous kicks for a donkey politicians get as rewards for all their efforts. Martha's LOUD silence in the last one week speaks volumes. Next time she twists her lips on the screen, they will either spew characteristic brimstone or churn out measured retrospection mellowed by political reality. She is one person whose actions will definitely give a clue on the directions of political dynamics in tandem with Kibaki succession.

Mad Martha, livid Lucy
That Kenyans have not missed Lucy during her sojourn at Nairobi’s mental facility is no coincidence. Lucy’s absence from the public eye has saved many male cheeks from stopping her flying palms. But at least she can sit pretty in the knowledge that her wish to have State House as home is partially adhered to. She made sure that all coalition transactions were conducted at Harambee House far away from her madness. You can only guess what the outcome and state of Kenya would be otherwise.

Lucy may be down but not out. Having personally made sure that the kihii does not bring himself anywhere near State House, she cannot sit pretty as the same person strides the political landscape unperturbed. Lucy will never forgive Koffi Annan for spoiling the party in which she staked her all - stature and persona. You don’t commiserate with the devil in an ELECTION THEFT only to see it melt right before your eyes. Well, one thing is for sure: we haven’t seen the last of these two TOUGHIES who dare not spare any man left standing in Kenya.