National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has issued a firm warning to politicians against turning his brother’s burial into a political platform, urging for calm, dignity and respect as the family prepares to lay him to rest.
Speaking on Thursday, December 18, 2025, at his brother’s home in Tuuti, Kibabii, Bungoma County, after a requiem mass at Kibabii Catholic Church, the Speaker appealed to leaders and mourners to allow the funeral to proceed without political undertones.
“I want to eulogise my brother in peace and dignity. As we prepare to lay him to rest tomorrow, I want to make it clear that we will not condone politics here. We want to escort him on his final journey in peace,” Wetang’ula said.
He called on leaders to learn from other regions where funerals are conducted solemnly, without political rhetoric or grandstanding, stressing that the occasion was purely for mourning and honoring the departed.
The Speaker paid an emotional tribute to his late elder brother, Mwalimu James Mukhwana Wetang’ula, describing him as an exceptional sibling and a pillar in the family.
“This is my brother; we grew up together in our mother’s house and shared a close bond. We never quarreled or answered each other back. He was the best brother anyone could wish for,” he said.
Wetang’ula also praised his brother’s selfless service to the nation, particularly in the education sector, noting that he mentored and shaped the lives of many professionals across the region.
Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi, their younger brother, remembered the late Mwalimu as a man of few words who always spoke with clarity and facts.
Several leaders, including Kibabii MP John Makali and Bungoma County Assembly Speaker Emanuel Situma, attended the requiem mass.
The late Mwalimu James Mukhwana Wetang’ula was laid to rest on Friday, December 19, 2025, at his home in Kibabii Tuuti, Bungoma County. His death comes barely a year after the family buried their mother, Anne Nanyama Wetang’ula, whose passing in December 2024 drew national attention and tributes for her quiet strength and lifelong service to the community.