A family from Kitsoeni village in Chonyi Sub County, Kilifi County on Thursday, April 27 sent an appeal to President William Ruto to help them bury their father.
While speaking to the press, Stella Mbodza Mwatsuma, the lastborn daughter of the late 85-year-old Mwatsuma Nyale, revealed that the Head of State had bonded with her father when he visited their homestead in 2019.
The Head of State, who served as the Deputy President at the time, had visited the homestead for the launching of the Government's Rural Electrification project.
In her appeal, Mwatsuma displayed pictures taken at the time demonstrating how the family bonded with the President and his team, including handing Ruto a rooster.
In one picture, she is seen greeting Ruto while his late father looks on. In another photo, Mwatsuma is seen handing over a rooster to the then Deputy President.
“President Ruto came here and switched on the light in my father’s house. He was given a rooster and villagers started referring to my dad as ‘Baba wa Ruto’.
"I am appealing to Ruto to come to our aid at this trying moment and also help me join college,” Mwatsuma pleaded.
The 19-year-old girl, who hails from a poor background, narrated that it was painful to bury her father without President Ruto's knowledge.
The deceased's son, Nyale Makiti, was also overwhelmed with emotions and called for assistance from the Head of State.
Rogers Chilango Mabenda, a village elder explained that the deceased was chosen to host Ruto at the time because of his stature in the society, adding that it was through him that the village got electricity.
“The old man was very generous with advice and we used to refer to him as 'Baba wa Ruto' because he was privileged to host the Deputy President at that time," Mabenda explained to mourners who had gathered at the homestead.
His sentiments were echoed by Gilbert Peru, a family member who emphasised that the deceased should be given a dignified send-off.
The family of the late Nyale lives in abject poverty, with a makuti thatched house and mud walls that are in poor condition.
Rural Electricity Project
The Rural Electrification Program was a Jubilee Government project to increase the number of Kenyans connected to electricity.
The Jubilee Government initiative helped improve lighting in remote villages across the country.
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