President Uhuru Kenyatta’s family holds Mass for kin killed in Westgate

By KURIAN MUSA and MWANIKI MUNUHE

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s nephew and his fiancée’s requiem mass on Friday conducted under tight security.

Sombre mood engulfed Nairobi Chapel as friends and family members came out to bid Mwangi Mbugua and Rosemary Wahito final farewell.

Mbugua, 29, was son of Captain Michael Mwangi and Catherine Mwangi, sister to nominated Senator Beth Mugo and former politician Ngengi Muigai, who are first cousins of the President.

Mbugua worked at Mobile Finance Services company, while his fiancée Rosemary Wahito, 28, worked at Waithaka Motors.

President Kenyatta and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said the two families were not mourning, but celebrating two wonderful young people whose lives were cut short by terrorists last Saturday during the Westgate Mall attack.

The President said Kenyans should not allow themselves to be intimidated by the attacks.

“There is a time that a national tragedy becomes a personal one. I am sharing the pain of losing people I loved and knew personally together with other Kenyans who lost their family members and the people they care for,” said Uhuru.

“To My Shiro (in reference to Mbugua’s mother), thanks for raising such a courageous boy and we shall stand by you. The bond of love between our family and that of the Wahitos shall continue and we thank them for giving our son a lady to be his wife,” he said.

The parents described the two as lovable, hardworking and brilliant.

Captain Mwangi and his wife Catherine described their son as one who had an infectious smile that he carried with him everywhere.

Nominated Senator Beth Mugo said she was with Mbugua Saturday morning before they left for Westgate with his fiancée.

She said a post-mortem examination report revealed Mbugua was shot seven times in the chest. Mama Ngina Kenyatta sent her condolences through Hon Beth Mugo.

Family members told of a couple that had reached advanced levels of their wedding plans.

Mbugua’s casket was carried by, among others, Raila Jnr and Jaba Kenyatta, the grandsons of the founding fathers of the nation, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

Meanwhile it has emerged that there is a disquiet between the military and Kenya Police Service over the handling of last Saturday’s attack.

The Standard on Saturday obtained details from several officers involved in the rescue mission including the circumstances that made Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo block the handing over exercise that was scheduled to take place on Monday. The differences emanated from uncoordinated commands, operational blunders that were reported to have resulted in accidental shooting of fellow officers and uncoordinated mode of data collection and release of information to the public between the Ministry of Interior and Co-ordination of Government affairs and military on one side, and the National Police Service itself on the other.

Kimaiyo reportedly declined to allow the handing over from the military to the police service because he insisted that the handing over report and actual situation at the mall be fully documented before police can take over from the military.

But even worse is what officers in National Police Service see as deliberate lack of recognition of police officers who died during the rescue operation.