Mark Too’s last journey unites leaders across political divide

Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi (left) Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa (centre) and Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero (right) during the funeral service for the late Mark Kiptarbel Too. PHOTO: WILBERFORCE OKWIRI/STANDARD

The requiem mass for former nominated MP Mark Too yesterday turned into a re-union of sorts for current and former politicians who interacted with him.

Former senior civil servants of the Kanu era and those currently in government joined Too's family in mourning him, with all speakers expressing gratitude to the deceased for touching their lives differently.

Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi, Water Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, Senator Zipporah Kittony, Kanu Secretary General Nick Salat and Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero were among the leaders who eulogised Too.

Mudavadi said he joined politics because of Too, after he prevailed upon him to go for the Sabatia parliamentary seat in 1989, following the death of his father Moses Mudavadi.

"My first encounter with him was in February 1989 after my father passed away. That encounter is what put me into politics. He was a good man and has been a close friend since I started my journey in politics. In the last elections, he campaigned for me," said Mudavadi.

Wamalwa said Bwana Dawa, as Too was fondly referred to by his peers, was a frequent visitor to their Kitale home, where he often paid a courtesy call on the late former Vice President Kijana Wamalwa, who was an Opposition leader at the time.

"Despite being in Kanu and close to President Moi, he was a close friend to my late brother. If Bwana Dawa was a medical doctor, he would be like Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders ). He had friends across the political divide," said the CS.

Kittony and Salat, who both worked with Too in Kanu, hailed him as a patriotic member of the independence party, noting that his death is not only a loss to his family, but also to the outfit.

"When you were seated with Moi and Too walked in, you had to leave them alone. When you found the two speaking, you had to leave them alone," said Salat.

Too's body will be airlifted to Eldoret on Saturday ahead of the burial on Monday in his farm near the Eldoret International Airport.