Leaders from across the country had gathered to mourn the mother of Embakasi North MP James Gakuya. The mood changed suddenly as mourners watched in disbelief silently nearby.
The event drew senior figures including former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna among others.
Residents filled the grounds early hoping for a peaceful farewell. Instead emotions flared when speeches took a political turn before prayers ended leaving elders uneasy and families deeply disturbed by events.
Lamu Woman Representative Monicah Muthoni Marubu rose to speak and openly backed President William Ruto for a second term.
She loudly pushed the Tutam slogan meaning two terms and urged Mount Kenya to support the plan. Her words cut through the silence igniting murmurs across the packed funeral crowd.
The reaction was instant and hostile from mourners aligned to the Wantam movement calling for one term only. Chants of Wantam rose fast and drowned her speech as people stood up shouting.
Organizers switched off the microphone to calm the surging crowd before the situation escalated further into disorder briefly.
According to videos online tension rippled across the venue as political anger replaced grief in Mount Kenya heartland.
The region has lately shown growing resistance to Ruto second term plans.
Many saw the chant as disrespectful at a burial meant for unity during a painful moment for the bereaved family members.
Marubu added fuel by referencing the Singapore Dream vision praising development in parts of Mount Kenya West.
She joked some areas had already reached Singapore standards angering listeners facing high costs of living.
The remark deepened the divide within the crowd and sparked louder chants across the burial grounds.
Rigathi Gachagua watched silently as the chaos unfolded strengthening his Wantam stance among supporters present. His presence alone carried weight given his open fallout with President Ruto.
The incident reflected a region rethinking political loyalty ahead of 2027 amid economic strain broken promises and rising public frustration nationwide today.
Similar scenes have been reported at other funerals turning mourning spaces into political battlegrounds. In Murang'a the service resumed after order returned and tributes continued.
Yet the echoes of Tutam and Wantam revealed deep cracks shaping Kenya politics as campaigns quietly begin long before the next election season nationwide now.
