"Family First" While Top Leaders Were at Raila's Funeral, Here is Where CS Murkomen Was Spotted

Cabinet Secretary for Interior Kipchumba Murkomen was notably absent from the high-profile public viewing of the late Raila Odinga's body in Kisumu today.

While the nation's political elite gathered to mourn the former Prime Minister, some in Kisumu and other in Bondo, the Interior CS was in his home county of Elgeyo Marakwet, leading his family in laying to rest his beloved aunt.

CS Murkomen, together with his family and the local community, attended the funeral of Mama Jebii Kibor, who was his mother's sister.

The emotional ceremony took place in Tuturung, Marakwet East, where Mr. Murkomen was pictured paying his final respects, bowing solemnly before his aunt's casket in a moment of personal grief.

The Interior Cabinet Secretary's presence in his home village came on the same day that the country's attention was firmly fixed on Kisumu.

A majority of Kenya's top leaders, including many of his cabinet colleagues and the President, were at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium to pay tribute to the late Raila Odinga.

Others went to Bondo including President Ruto, Raila's home place where he will be laid to rest tomorrow.

Mr. Murkomen's decision to prioritise his family's personal loss during such a major national event is being seen by many as a powerful "family first" statement.

While the country mourns a national icon, the poignant images from Tuturung show a grieving nephew honouring a close family member.

His choice to be with his kin in Elgeyo Marakwet provides a clear and understandable reason for his absence from the national stage in Kisumu, highlighting that personal grief and family obligations continue even in moments of great historical significance.