The ghosts of Raila Odinga’s first anniversary memorial are proving rather unwilling to lie down. In the latest instalment of the political drama surrounding the ceremony in Bondo, former Makadara MP Reuben Ndolo has been summoned by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to explain remarks he made at a church service in Nairobi.
The commission wants Ndolo at its offices in Britam Tower, Upper Hill, on Monday, October 26, at 2pm, following his address at Jesus Teaching Ministry Church in Donholm on Sunday, October 18. His remarks touched on political mobilisation, the recruitment of young people and the increasingly acrimonious disagreements among leaders over the memorial of the late former prime minister.
The summons is a reminder that Kenya’s political theatre has a habit of following its performers out of rallies and into institutions charged with preserving public order and national cohesion.
Ndolo, never one to let a political moment pass without embellishment, recounted how he had travelled to Busia, Luanda in Vihiga County and Bondo in Siaya County to mobilise young people. He maintained that he had undertaken an assignment entrusted to him by a senior political figure, describing his travels as part of the preparations surrounding the memorial.
But it was the broader political fallout from the Bondo gathering that gave his address its combustible character.
The memorial, intended to honour a man whose political career reshaped Kenya’s opposition politics for decades, was overshadowed by controversy over the treatment of mourners and guests. Ida Odinga subsequently expressed dismay over the conduct of some attendees, while accusations emerged about the mobilisation of disruptive crowds. Ndolo’s account has added another strand to the dispute, although the competing claims about who organised the youths remain matters requiring careful verification.
He also criticised leaders over their alleged treatment of Ida, making claims involving Junet Mohamed and a purported trip to Dubai. Those allegations were his own assertions, not established findings of the NCIC investigation.
Then came his challenge concerning former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, whom Ndolo said he intended to take to Nyanza. The declaration, delivered amid the factional rivalries surrounding ODM politics, illustrated how the memorial’s aftermath has become another arena for political positioning ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The NCIC has warned that Ndolo’s failure to attend could result in arrest warrants or criminal and contempt proceedings. Yet the commission has also made clear that the hearing is his opportunity to respond, present evidence and make representations before a determination is reached.
That distinction matters. A summons is not a conviction, and an investigation is not proof of wrongdoing.
Nevertheless, the episode arrives at a delicate moment. As politicians begin recalibrating their alliances and mobilising supporters for the next electoral contest, the language of political competition can acquire consequences far beyond the podium. Young people, too often treated as instruments of political arithmetic, risk becoming participants in confrontations whose architects may never face the immediate consequences.
The NCIC’s task is therefore not merely to police words after they have been spoken. It is to establish whether public utterances cross the legal threshold into conduct that threatens cohesion, while safeguarding the right to political expression and a fair hearing.
Raila’s memorial should have been an occasion for remembrance. Instead, its aftermath has become a contest over loyalty, influence and responsibility. Ndolo’s appearance before the commission may help clarify some of the allegations. Whether it brings the wider political quarrel closer to resolution is another question entirely.
In Kenya’s approaching election season, the trouble is not that politicians have plenty to say. It is whether, when the shouting ends, anyone is prepared to answer for what was said.