Funeral contributions given to Foreign Affairs employee's 'new son', alleges widow

There is an alleged fall-out among workers at the foreign affairs ministry over the “disappearance” of money meant for their dead colleague.

The money from the foreign affairs ministry’s informal harambee, about Sh87,000, has been the subject of a clash between the family of Moses Otieno and senior officials at the ministry.

The seniors have been on the firing line because it is claimed the money was given to a third party instead of the wife of Otieno.

The matter is likely to end up on the table of Foreign Affairs PS Karanja Kibicho, their boss. The cabinet secretary in the ministry is Amina Mohamed.

Otieno, a chief trade officer at the ministry, died on January 9 in what some suspect is murder. His family says he bled to death after his attackers slit veins in his neck at night.

At the time of his death, Otieno was in the family’s Tassia home in Embakasi, while his wife Abigael Akinyi and their three children were away at their rural home in Nyanza.

Akinyi and her in-laws have been entangled in wrangles that have sucked in government officials.

Head of Human Resource in the ministry Lawrence Waweru has advised Akinyi to write a letter to PS Kibicho for action on the matter.

Waweru said the contribution should have gone to the immediate family and it was surprising it was directed elsewhere.

Akinyi claims that her sisters-in-law worked “in cahoots” with Pastor Odhiambo Agola of Holy Church of Christ in Korogocho to “impose a stranger” as a member of Otieno’s family. Otieno and his three children were members of the church and close friends of the pastor.

“When we went for burial at Ahero, Nyanza, I was attacked and police had to rescue us. My children did not witness the burial of their father but to our surprise, a young man was introduced as my husband’s biological son on that day,” said Akinyi.

There are claims that the money was given to the young man or people close to him.

Pastor Odhiambo told The Nairobian that he and Otieno’s sisters took the young man to the ministry and they met senior officers and the money was purportedly released for the young man’s welfare. He however declined to reveal the amount.

“The boy is Otieno’s son. His mother was married to Otieno but they parted ways before he married Akinyi. The boy, like Akinyi’s children, is entitled to an inheritance,” Odhiambo said.

It is however unclear on what grounds the officials released the funds to the deceased’s alleged son.

“I suspect some officials are in cahoots with my sisters-in-law and my husband’s former friends make me suffer. When I came for Otieno’s belongings, they attempted to stop me but the head of human resource intervened,” Akinyi said.

Already, some officials are criticising the decision their seniors took in releasing the funds.