The Death of Hon. Mirugi Kiriuki
On April 10th, 2006 at around
3:00 pm, I made a call to Kenya with the expectation of speaking with the Assistant
Minister for Internal Security there, the Hon. Mirugi Kiriuki. I wanted to
confirm with the Hon. Kiriuki the appointment we had scheduled to further discuss
the construction of a maternity center at the Nakuru hospital in Kenya. He
did not answer his phone though. Since I had already
arranged to be in Kenya so as to meet with him the following week,
it was urgent that I confirm the appointment in order
to make my short stay there as productive as possible.
Not successful in reaching the Hon. Kiriuki at his office,
I tried calling him on his mobile phone, but there was
still no answer. I decided to call another member of parliament
in the same area, the Hon. Koigi, but he was not answering
his phone either. I then called the Hon. Koini’s
wife and asked her about the Assistant Minister for Internal
Security. To my surprise, she said, “he died this
morning in a plane crash with 14 other people.” She
added that she herself had just received the news and was
still waiting for further information.
I later learned that a military plane that the Hon. Kiriuki
was traveling in had crashed while trying to land in northeast
Kenya on the morning of the 10th of April. The assistant
minister was killed, along with a cabinet minister, four
other MPs, and seven other people. The Y-12 plane, with
17 people aboard, had hit a hill near the town of Marsabit
while carrying officials to a conference aimed at easing
tribal tensions in the region.
Before becoming a member of parliament, the Hon. Kiriuki
worked with the poor and for the poor and underprivileged.
He had been appointed by the president of Kenya to bring
peace among the warring clans in the eastern province of
Africa. A charismatic and dedicated leader, who was also
a good friend of mine, the Hon. Kiriuki lost his life while
leading a peace mission. Only a few months earlier, I had
the great privilege of visiting with him at his office
in Nakuru, signing the guest book and discussing how to
help the poor and sick in the area.
I was invited by the members of the Kenyan Parliament
to attend the Hon. Kiriuki’s funeral in Nakuru on
the 15th of April. I traveled from Nairobi on the four-hour
trip with the Hon. Mbau, a member of parliament from Maragua.
The president of Kenya and over one hundred members of
parliament participated in the funeral service. As a special
guest, I was allowed to sit with the members of parliament
and I also got a chance to greet the president. It was
a sad day for the thousands of people who attended the
funeral and the many other thousands of people whose lives
the Hon. Kiriuki touched.
I recognize the incredible work that the Hon. Kiriuki
performed both before and during his time with the Kenyan
Parliament. I am thankful for having the opportunity to
work with him to help the poor and underprivileged of Nakuru.
I send him my sincere blessings and I wish him a happy
journey.
