Joy, laughter as Raila, Sudi meet in funeral

Kapseret Member of Parliament (MP) Oscar Sudi on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, met with Azimio La Umoja coalition leader Raila Odinga in Elgeyo Marakwet during a burial ceremony.

The burial ceremony was for Mzee Masit Chirchir, who is the father of Irene Masit, a former commissioner in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

“With former Prime Minister and Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga at the burial ceremony of Mzee Masit Chirchir (Chumyot). Mzee Masit was an industrious and successful farmer who has left an indelible legacy,” Sudi stated in a post on his Instagram page.

Irene Masit was one of the commissioners at the IEBC who rejected the 2022 presidential poll results, stating that the process was opaque. The other three were Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, and Justus Nyangaya.

In a seemingly cordial interaction, Raila sat side-by-side with Sudi, occasionally cracking in bursts of laughter with the Kapseret MP, who only two years ago was suspected by police to have been involved in an incident where a chopper carrying the ODM supremo, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, was stoned.

Chopper incident

The incident happened after Raila attended the funeral of the late Mzee Jackson Kibor, chairman of the famed ‘Men’s Conference’, in his Soy home in Eldoret in April 2022.

However, on takeoff, a group of irate youth charged towards the helicopter carrying the three leaders with stones and various projectiles, cracking the windscreen of the aircraft and damaging one of its sides.

On the same night, police in Eldoret rounded up at least 15 suspects before narrowing down on two individuals who were subsequently charged with unlawfully causing damage to a helicopter make Euro Copter 5Y-DSB at the front windscreen and right side screen valued at more than Ksh577, 000.

They were also charged with malicious damage to property and causing disturbance in a manner likely to disturb peace.

During the time, police indicated that the initial probe led them to the conclusion that Caleb Kositany, Oscar Sudi and then-Uasin Gishu county speaker David Kiplagat were behind the attack.

Sudi would, however, rubbish the remarks by the DCI, stating that away from the politics, they identified with Raila and would never attempt anything of the sort.

“Kando na siasa, sisi wote tunajuana, hatuwezi cheza na maisha ya yule mwengine, nilicomplain sana kwa sababu ya tabia ya hao vijana,” Sudi said. (Away from politics, we know each other and wouldn’t want to endanger the other person’s life. I have personally complained about the conduct of the youth involved in stoning the chopper).