Don't make funerals political campaign fora ahead of polls

 A joint memorial service at Gilgil Stadium in Nakuru County for 15 goirls who lost their lives in the Utumishi Girls Academy fire .  [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Friday’s burial of the 15 Utumishi Girls Academy students  who tragically lost their lives in a dormitory fire should have been a moment of collective mourning, reflection and solidarity.

It was a time for grieving families to receive comfort, for a nation to stand with parents whose dreams were shattered, and for leaders to offer hope and practical solutions to prevent such tragedies from recurring.

Instead, what should have remained a solemn occasion was, regrettably, turned into a political battleground by some leaders eager to score points and settle political scores. Nothing is more painful than watching politicians transform the tears of bereaved parents into campaign material.

Families who have lost their daughters are not interested in political chest-thumping. They are not seeking partisan battles. They are not looking for leaders to trade accusations in front of fresh graves. What they need is compassion, healing and assurance that no other parent will endure such heartbreak.

Kenyans are increasingly weary of a political culture where every national tragedy becomes an opportunity for blame games and finger-pointing. The country is not short of politicians taking advantage from calamity. What it desperately lacks are leaders willing to provide solutions.

The questions surrounding school safety, dormitory standards, emergency preparedness and inspection failures are legitimate and deserve answers. However, funerals are not the place for political grandstanding. Parliament, Senate committees and government oversight institutions exist precisely for such purposes.

Those elected to represent wananchi have constitutional platforms from which they can demand accountability. They have access to legislative processes, committee hearings, budget allocations and oversight mechanisms. If leaders genuinely want safer schools, they should table motions, propose laws, strengthen regulations and ensure adequate funding for school infrastructure.

They should not wait for funerals to make fiery speeches that offer little beyond headlines. Particularly disappointing was the apparent attempt by some leaders to inject political rivalry into an occasion that called for humility and empathy. The grieving families of Utumishi Girls Academy should never become pawns in political contests or stepping stones in future electoral ambitions.

Leadership is tested not by how loudly one speaks at a funeral but by the actions taken after the mourners have left and the cameras have disappeared. The deaths of these girls demand more than political rhetoric. They demand comprehensive safety audits in schools, improved emergency response systems, stricter enforcement of boarding school regulations and accountability for negligence wherever it is found.

As a nation, we must draw a clear line. Funerals should remain sacred spaces for mourning, healing and remembrance.