Bonchari MP to be buried in Kisii on Friday

**MP John Oyioka’s first wife Teresa Bitutu (R), second wife Pamela Atieno (extreme left) and Kisii Woman Representative Janet Ongera.** [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

A brief and intimate requiem mass was held on Wednesday morning at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi for the late Bonchari Member of Parliament John Oroo Oyioka.

The mass, which lasted just an hour and a half, was attended by Oyioka’s widows, Teresa Bitutu and Pamela Atieno, as well as a handful of other family members, friends and political leaders.

The hurried mass also featured just two speeches- from Bobasi MP Innocent Momanyi who read the eulogy and another from Parliament Speaker Justin Muturi.

Oyioka will be buried in Kisii County on Friday.

His body will leave the Lee Funeral Home, where it had been flown to from Kisumu, at 7am.

Thereafter the body will be flown from the Wilson Airport to Suneka Airstrip in Kisii County, for a funeral service to be held at Itierio Playground.

Moving tributes wrote in the eulogy book made it clear that Oyioka's death had left an immense gap in the lives of the people closest to him.

“You were a remarkable man; dependable, loving and caring. You made me smile, you made me laugh. You were my companion and dear friend. You were a wonderful husband from the beginning to the end,” wrote Oyioka’s first wife, Bitutu.

His second wife, Atieno, remembered him as not just a husband and father but also a mentor, friend and employer.

**National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi consoles MP Oyioka’s first wife Teresa Bitutu.** [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Parliament Speaker Justin Muturi who remembered the late Oyioka for his contributions in education, also highlighted the need for prayers following the recent string of deaths of MPs.

Oyioka's colleagues and family members eulogized the 71-year-old MP as a leader who made monumental contributions to his constituency and Kenya's education sector, through his roles as an educator and member of the parliamentary education committee.

"His generosity, love and advocacy for children's education are demonstrated by the fact that under full funding by CDF, he gave five school buses to needy schools and completed the construction of 12 classrooms in Suneka Primary School and eight classrooms in Nyakung'u Primary," noted the eulogy.

Oyioka unsuccessfully vied for the Bonchari parliamentary seat in 2007, but won in 2013 on a KANU ticket. However, his victory was short-lived as he lost the seat following an election petition.

The MP died on February 15.

His death comes more than a year before the conclusion of his second term.