“He didn’t come to be seen. He came to act and that is what real leadership looks like.” Judith Oluoch, CECM for Environment.
In the quiet lanes of Kanyakwar village, sorrow sits heavy like the evening mist. A single homestead bears the weight of an unimaginable tragedy in which four fresh graves are soon to be dug for four sons from the same mother.
What began as an afternoon errand for the Otieno brothers turned into a heartbreaking catastrophe when they drowned in a disused quarry filled with rainwater. Their deaths have since become a painful reminder of the dangers of neglected mining sites and a reflection of how tragedy is often politicized.
As mourners gathered, grief briefly gave way to spectacle. Two gubernatorial hopefuls both eyeing next year’s race did not attend in person, but sent their representatives, each announcing that they had purchased four coffins for the bereaved family. By the end of the day, eight coffins had been delivered, triggering murmurs among villagers who saw the gestures as political optics rather than genuine empathy.
“They wanted to be seen as caring without showing up,” said an elderly mourner. “Even grief has become a stage for politics.”
Amid the noise, Kisumu Deputy Governor Dr. Mathew Owili struck a different tone in a quiet, compassionate and policy-driven. Personally visiting the family without spectacle, he listened before speaking. When he finally spoke, it wasn’t about donations but about duty.
“As a father, I cannot fathom the depth of this loss. The silence left behind is deafening,” Dr. Owili said softly. “There are moments in leadership when words feel painfully small and this was one of them.”
Soon after, the County Government under Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o announced a ban on all quarrying licenses and a halt to quarrying activities across Kisumu County. The move marked the start of a sweeping safety reform agenda.
The administration immediately rolled out a four-point plan to:
- Review and strengthen laws governing mining and quarrying.
- Demarcate and fence off all active quarries and seal abandoned pits.
- Form a task force to oversee quarry safety and rehabilitation.
- Fast-track settlement of land disputes that encourage illegal mining.
Earlier, Dr. Owili chaired a multi-agency emergency meeting alongside County Commissioner Benson Leparmorijo, area MCA Hon. Samuel Omollo, CECM for Environment Judith Oluoch and NEMA officials to craft a coordinated response.
“This tragedy will not be in vain,” Dr. Owili said after the meeting. “We owe it to the Otieno family and to every Kisumu household, to ensure such pain never repeats.”
The Deputy Governor’s measured and reform-focused response stood in stark contrast to the earlier theatrics of convenience and photo politics, earning him praise across the county for restoring dignity to leadership in a moment of collective mourning.
As the Otieno family prepares to lay their sons to rest, Kisumu faces a new awakening, one where empathy is measured not in donations or coffins, but in the courage to correct what has long been neglected.
