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The Funds That Cost Anyona Dearly

Details

Published on Saturday, 02 June 2007 07:24

The controversy over the funds at the centre of the burial dispute of former Kitutu Masaba MP George Anyona goes back to a harambee on July 27, 1997 at Tombe Primary School grounds. Now Mr Anyona's body lies in a morgue in Kisii after his elder brother, Mr Stephenson Mageto, blocked the burial pending resolution of a dispute over the whereabouts of the Sh2.3 million raised at the meeting for the Chabumba Women's Group.

Nine Kisii MPs attended the harambee. The chief guest was Mr Simeon Nyachae, then a Cabinet minister. The others were Dr Hezron Manduku, Mr Jimmy Angwenyi, Mr Ferdinand Obure, Mr Stephen Manoti, Mr Atebe Marita, Mr Reuben Oyondi, Mr Henry Obwocha and the host, Mr Anyona. A total of 582 women and youth groups, affiliated to Chabumba Women Project, which had replaced the Kitutu East Chabumba Mills Project, had been registered as the would-be beneficiaries of the funds drive.

Among the first officials of the group, formed in the late 1970s to assist women's groups to establish businesses, were Mrs Milcah Gisairo (chairperson), Mrs Tabitha Mogaka (vice-chairman), Mrs Florence Atenga (secretary) Mrs Mary Onsongo (assistant secretary), Mrs Priscilla Mocheche (treasurer) and Mrs Hellen Ogeto (assistant treasurer). Mr Anyona was the group's patron. Mrs Gisairo says she was drafted into the management of the group through the influence of Mr Anyona, who later had her replaced with Mrs Karen Onkoba in 1992. She told the Nation from her Mongoni home that before she was replaced, she visited the Kisii National Bank branch once. "I went to the bank sometime in 1989 when Mr Anyona told us he wanted us to assist him withdraw Sh88,000 which he needed to process some vital documents for the benefit of our account."

After being replaced in 1992, "I even forgot about the group... since we had been kicked out we chose to forget any activities of Chabumba and when the controversial funds drive took place, we had nothing to do with it." She adds that in 1998, an official arrived at her home with blank withdrawal forms, which she signed."The only amount I remember receiving as an official was Sh20 as bus fare after we assisted Mr Anyona to withdraw the 88,000," Mrs Gisairo said.

According to Mr Anyona's long-time personal assistant, Mr Makori Karamu, the women's group leaders took the money to the bank in Kisii town after the harambee. They were driven there by a son of one of the guests. "They found the bank closed and decided to keep the money in the man's house. They arrived there the following morning to count it." He said Mr Anyona was later told that the funds had been banked. Mrs Gisairo said when police questioned her last week, she was asked to shed light on records that she and colleagues in the initial Chabumba leadership had withdrawn Sh866,000 in 2000.

One of the women had died the previous year, but it was indicated that she signed for the withdrawal. According to Mrs Gisairo, the officials of the group were signatories to the National Bank account but did not know what was going on. "I could not tell how much money was in that bank account. All that we used to do was to sign blank withdrawal forms. Added Mrs Gisairo: "I cannot say whether the money was withdrawn or not, but I can confirm that I signed several blank withdrawal forms, the last one being in 1999, seven years after I had been replaced as chairperson." Controversy over the money burst into the open on July 9, last year, when 30 women's groups officials travelled to Nairobi to demand that Mr Anyona release the Sh2.3 million raised at the harambee five years earlier. The group complained that Mr Anyona had "neither an office nor a home" in the constituency where we can reach him.

A furious Mr Anyona accused Mr Nyachae in Parliament of being party to the demonstration, which the latter denied. The money became a major campaign issue in Kitutu Masaba in the 2002 elections as Mr Anyona, already ailing, failed to withstand the Nyachae-Ford People wave in the region. He lost to Mr Mwancha Okioma.

When Mr Mageto moved to court to stop the burial plans being organised by the funeral committee chaired by former MP Njeru Kathangu and supported by Mr Anyona's widow, Esther, many thought he just wanted more time to put up a house for the former MP to facilitate the funeral ceremony. But it appears there is more to the dispute than just a desire to cover up family embarrassment. Sources said Mr Mageto was bitter that the same people who used the money against his brother during the elections were bringing up the matter once again to discredit him in death. Using the court order, villagers led by Mr Karamu removed the casket from the incomplete house that Mr Mageto was constructing for Mr Anyona's funeral as the widow and the children left the homestead in tears.

Mr Mageto was supported by one brother and three sisters. The crowds that had gathered in the home cheered as the body was taken to Nyangena hospital mortuary. Mr Mageto said the family would announce a new burial date as soon as the controversy over the funds was cleared. In a letter by his lawyer, Mr Leonard Ombachi, Mr Mageto demanded that the Nyamira District social services officer investigate and make public what happened to the harambee funds "since the signatories are still available".

"The mystery about the whereabouts of the said funds is causing discord, ill-will and wrong imputations concerning the deceased, which, in turn, is adversely affecting the family. True the dead cannot be defamed, but the family will be greatly embarrassed and inconvenienced. Meanwhile, a fresh controversy is looming over the removal of Mr Anyona's body from the house. According to a Kisii customary law expert, Mr Nyangera Kingoina, the action was a violation of customs."Once a body has entered a house, it is only removed when being taken to the grave," said Mr Kingoina. He said for the body to be returned to the house, a cleansing ceremony needed to be conducted. Mr Kingoina, a retired magistrate who has written a book on Kisii customs, said those who participated in the removal of the body must be cleansed "or risk being cursed as Mr Anyona's spirits and those of the ancestors will automatically haunt them and their lineage."

Mr Kingoina accused Mr Mageto of playing politics. Traditionally, a person's debts and liabilities were listed during the burial period for the elders to resolve. "He should have demanded to know if Mr Anyona owed anybody any debt, or whether there was anybody who owed his brother anything," he said. According to Nairobi funeral committee chairman Mr Njeru Kathangu, who was jailed alongside Mr Anyona in 1991, the team had resolved that Mr Anyona be buried on December 5. But Mr Mageto requested that it be pushed back to December 7.

After placing the funeral announcement in the media, Mr Kathangu says, they were shocked to receive a letter informing them that the family had decided to put off the burial indefinitely until the whereabouts harambee cash was established. Mr Kathangu who spoke to the Nation in Kisii after bringing the body from Nairobi, said that Mr Mageto had declined a request to meet with the committee. Mr Mageto proceeded to court on December 5 and obtained an injunction even as the Nairobi Committee had already arrived at Lee Funeral Home to collect the body.

Mr Kathangu says no court orders had been served by the time the body was being removed from Lee, taken for a service at Railway Club and flown to Kisii after an overnight stay at Mr Anyona's Nairobi residence. But going by the words of Mr Nyachae at Railway Club, it was clear that sometning was afoot: "Let him (Mageto) try to stop the burial, we will deal with him ruthlessly and he will know that waKisii wana vichwa ngumu (Kisii people are stubborn). Let him come with wreaths but not those nonsensical orders."

At 9am on Friday December 5, the casket was taken to Wilson Airport from where it was flown to Suneka airstrip. Among those accompanying Mr Anyona's remains were his widow Esther Mokeira and son Kwame. MPs Charles Owino, Mwancha Okioma and Henry Obwocha flew in another aircraft. Speaking at the Suneka Mr Okioma and Mr Obwocha said they were yet to receive the court orders and opted to go ahead with the burial.. At 4.30pm the body arrived at Mr Anyona's Gatuta home ready for an overnight stay before burial on Sunday. Only to fund the door firmly barred so that MPs and others had to physically break into the house here they left the body.

On Saturday Mr Mageto served the court order on Nyamira police. The Nyamira deputy Police boss Mr Boniface Kutswa received the court orders and his officers to assist Mr Mageto and other family members remove the body from the home for preservation at a mortuary according to the orders by Kisii Senior Principal Magistrate Mr Samuel Soita. The order was also served on Mr Kathangu. "I and my committee have done our part by bringing Hon Anyona's body up to the home. But his spirits will haunt you for disturbing his peaceful rest," Mr Kathangu said as he took his leave.