Wife to the late Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha on Saturday, February 11, apologised to mourners for not following the Luo traditions as required of her.
Dr Barbara Magoha asked the mourners to understand that she is a Nigerian who may not have understood every aspect of the Luo culture and traditions.
She explained that she followed the Nigerian customs during the mourning of her husband since that was what she understood best.
“People were upset that I did not wail and cry when entering our home but I want to tell them that my new position in the family doesn’t give me the privilege to do a public display of emotions. I’m a Nigerian and I mourned my husband the Nigerian way,” Dr Barbara noted.
Professor Magoha’s wife also asked the security officers to be mindful of the culture, and treat the mourners with the respect which they deserve.
She condemned the blocking of mourners who thronged Umiru village to receive the body of their mate, Professor George Magoha.
“I apologise for what happened when the body was brought home. I understand that mourners were blocked from entering the compound. That is not how it should be,” Barabara pleaded.
She explained that Luo culture requires the mourners to enter the compound and share in the grief.
The widow of former Education CS asked mourners to understand that there are things she might not do at the burial of her husband.
“I ask of you to remain orderly even as you mourn my husband whom you loved so much. Let us be modest in our mourning,” Barbara pleaded with Siaya mourners.
Dr Barbara told mourners that she cooked her husband’s food for 40 years without letting another woman do it for her.
“As a wife, I supported him in so many ways but one thing I would like to say is that as a Calabar woman, I never let him down.
“He ate my food until the last day. For 40 good years, nobody else cooked my husband’s food. I cooked with all I had…I was so busy but whether I was in the country or not, it was my food that he ate,” she explained.
Magoha’s funeral services were held at Maseno University, Odera Akang’o Campus in Yala town where former President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga addressed the mourners.
Uhuru told the mourners that he first met Professor Magoha when he was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, and they struck a lifelong relationship.
“He was a man who was not interested in positions but in what he could do with the position he had. He usually spoke his mind without fear,” Uhuru noted.
Meanwhile President William Ruto, through ICT Cabinet Secretary, told the mourners that Magoha was a good man, a loyal servant of the Republic, a highly accomplished Scholar and a great teacher who gave sound leadership everywhere he worked.
On his part, Raila asked Magoha’s family to remain united and in love even after the death of Prof Magoha.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Prof. George Magoha, a transformational leader, illustrious scholar, dedicated public servant, and distinguished medical doctor who left an indelible mark on our country’s education system,” Raila mourned when he learned of Prof Magoha’s death.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE
