Today, former Machakos Senator and Parliamentary Service Commission Commissioner Johnson Muthama stood firm against divisive political chants, banning them at the burial of his beloved son, Moses Muthama Nduya.
As mourners gathered at the family home in Tala on Saturday, February 14, 2026, to lay Moses to rest, Muthama issued a clear and emotional directive: the “WANTAM” and “TUTAM” slogans that have turned Kenya’s public spaces into political battlegrounds would not be tolerated at his son’s funeral.
“Today, we are not here as politicians. We are here as parents burying our child,” Muthama told the solemn gathering.
“Let us honor Moses with dignity, not drama.”
“By God’s plans, the mother of Moses and I may follow different political paths. But if you want to respect our peace in this home, do not bring ‘WANTAM’ or ‘TUTAM’ issues here, just forget them. When you speak, speak with gratitude for the opportunity, and nothing else. I will be holding the remote control to the microphone, and if you divert to politics, I will switch it off. That’s how you take charge of your home,” Muthama warned.
Muthama further stated that his son’s burial should serve as a model for funerals across the country.
“Is it right to bring politics into a family that is mourning and see people start fighting?” he asked.
“If you want to promote UDA’s agenda, there will be other platforms for that, not at a burial event.”
The 26-year-old Moses tragically passed away on February 4 after collapsing at home and developing breathing complications, leaving his parents and the entire community in deep mourning.
Friday’s pre-burial gathering painted a rare picture of political unity. Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, and ODM leader Oburu Oginga, figures often at opposite ends of Kenya’s political spectrum, sat side by side at the Muthama residence, their differences temporarily shelved in the face of shared human sorrow.
Kalonzo, visibly moved, described Moses as “a young man full of promise, purpose and dreams for the future,” calling the loss “a moment of profound sorrow” for the entire Ukambani community.
Senator Agnes Kavindu, Moses’s mother and Muthama’s wife, received the condolences with quiet grace, surrounded by family and close friends.
Muthama’s stand has resonated nationwide. Across social media platforms, thousands of Kenyans have praised the grieving father for drawing a firm line between political theater and personal tragedy.
“Finally, someone said it. Funerals are sacred spaces, not campaign rallies,” one supporter wrote.
The ban has ignited broader debate about the boundaries of political expression in Kenya.
While WANTAM and TUTAM slogans have become fixtures at public gatherings, many now question whether every space, including final farewells, must become a political arena.
As Moses was laid to rest on Saturday afternoon, the ceremony remained peaceful and centered on remembrance, exactly as his grieving parents had requested.
Pole sana to Commissioner Muthama, Senator Kavindu, and the entire family. May Moses rest in eternal peace.
