The family of the late Member of Parliament Moses Injendi Malulu has announced that only President William Ruto, the church, and the family will be allowed to speak during the burial ceremony that will take place on Tuesday, March 4.

During a requiem service in Kakamega, the late MP's son, Melvin Malulu, informed the mourners that the burial service would not be a political event.

Melvin noted that the politicians will be allowed to give condolence messages on Monday, March 3, the day before the burial.

"On March 4, only President William Ruto, the family, and the church will be only be allowed to speak. Then on March 3, 2025, other political leaders will be allowed to give condolence messages," Melvin stated.

Malava MP Malulu Injendi with former ODM party leader Raila Odinga and Cooperatives CS Wycliffe Oparanya in 2020

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Malulu Injendi

The burial ceremony will be done in Malulu's home in Kakamega. 

Melvin stated that Ruto had offered to provide air transport to move the body of the late MP from Nairobi to Malava as a gesture of mourning with the family.

Several leaders were in attendance during the service, including Ruto's aide Farouk Kibet. Kibet, echoing Melvin's statement, urged the politicians to refrain from using funeral ceremonies as a place to carry out political campaigns, and they should respect the family's wishes. 

"Those people who will be transported to come and cheer (campaign) for others, tell them this is the funeral of Moses Injendi Malulu. We want a funeral that will be peaceful," Kibet stated.

The burial comes barely a month after two high-profile burials that have been dominated by politics. Last month, Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah engaged in a heated exchange over the recent spate of abductions in the country during the funeral of Speaker Moses Wetangula's mother.

Natembeya had pressured Ruto to address the issue of abductions, which at the time, rocked the country with Kenyans taking to the streets in protest.

In a fierce rebuttal, Ichung'wah, a key Ruto ally, accused the former regional commander of using brutal methods in the Mau forest evictions that Natembeya was overseeing. Ichung'wah further accused former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of orchestrating the abductions and blaming it on the President.

On Friday, February 21, during the burial of the Speaker of the Senate Amason Kingi's father, several political leaders who attended the service including Ruto, engaged in politics. 

Ruto responded to the uproar caused by a section of leaders over his recent move to scrap extra ID vetting for Kenyans in border counties. In his remarks, Ruto stated that he would not apologize to critics in his efforts to unite the country.

On the other hand, Kingi, his National Assembly counterpart Moses Wetang'ula, and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi castigated Nyeri Catholic Archbishop Anthony Muheria over his remarks criticizing the government.

National Assembly Speaker Moses Masika Wetang'ula during a meeting of the Parliamentary Pensions Management Committee at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi on February 19, 2025.

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National Assembly