Wanga seeks forgiveness on behalf of the Late Ong’ondo Were
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga on Friday, May 9, 2025, made a passionate plea for forgiveness on behalf of the slain Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were.
Speaking in Homabay during the MP’s final send-off on Friday, May 9, 2025, Wanga, stated that just like any other person, Were was a fallible man and urged anyone whom the MP had wronged to forgive him.
“This man was very quick to ask for forgiveness. He used to say: ‘Mum, I have made a mistake, and I ask for forgiveness’.
“Charles strived for perfection and tried to do his best for everybody. But for every leader and any person, sometimes you fall short and you don’t meet the expectations of everybody, and sometimes people feel offended by your actions,” Wanga stated.
“So I want to use this opportunity as her leader. A lot has been said about him (Charles Were), and while I disagree with those things, I want to ask for forgiveness on his behalf. Let us forgive him where we feel he came short and allow God to let him rest in peace,” Wanga said.
The governor also lauded the gathering for their decorum in line with her pleas for a peaceful send-off.
Bittersweet moment
“I am happy for the people who came out in large numbers yesterday when we were escorting Were to this place. I am also very happy as you can see, this room is a sea of orange today, as was the wish of Charles. People thought this would be a war zone, but people have dignified Were. I’m a very happy person as we send him off,” she added.
The governor’s apology follows after she refuted the assertion that Were was a man who ruled by an iron fist.
Wanga, while mourning the MP on Saturday, May 3, 2025, decried attempts to label the slain MP as a tyrant.
“Ong’ondo Were was loved by his constituents. As a politician, not everybody can like you. But so long as the majority are with you and you’re serving your constituency fully it suffices. Were served every part of his constituency without discrimination,” she said.
“Were was not elected by fluke. He was elected in 2017 and 2022. In 2022, he had over 42,000 votes, and his nearest competitor had 5000 votes. That is a man you want to tell us was ruling by terror. The disinformation that has flooded social media is not by coincidence. It is well-orchestrated, funded, and run to cover up the murder of Were. That is the truth,” she asserted.
