A sombre mood engulfed Jomvu constituency as the body of MP Badi Twalib's bodyguard Charles Odera was displayed for viewing on Wednesday morning.
Odera died on September 13 in a road accident. He had been with his boss the previous night until 11 pm, having agreed to link up on the fateful day at 4 pm.
However, that was not to be given he died the following morning.
On Wednesday, an emotional Twalib who has been listed as one of the pallbearers, was so overwhelmed that he could not carry the casket and someone had to help.
“Why did he have to go? Who will help me now? I am tired,” Twalib was heard crying.
The two met at a campaign in 2015 and Twalib was impressed by how Odera handled a hostile crowd.
The crowd, seemingly hired to heckle Twalib’s host, became hostile.
However, Odera talked the crowd into calmness, unaware he was being watched from the podium.
In Bangladesh, crowds lined up the road leading into the area, famed for its political nature, with members of the Luo community dominating it, including staunch supporters of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
On Friday, Twalib travelled to Mwer in Siaya county to meet the family of Odera and ensure burial preparations were on point.
He witnessed first-hand the house that Odera had told him he was building.
He offered to complete the building and furnish it as a token of appreciation,
The house is now 98 per cent complete and furnishing will be done before Saturday when Odera will be buried.
“He had told me it was his dream to own a house he could call his. And that is when I advised him to start with the little he had and I kept on chipping in whenever he requested.
“Apart from being my bodyguard, he was my best friend and advisor. Many of the things I do are from his advice,” Twalib said.
The MP described Odera as a gentleman, who introduced him to many groups in Jomvu, including churches, boda boda riders, volleyball teams, and persons living with disability, among others.
“The guy used to love volleyball and even introduced me to a paravolley ball team. He used to push me to support teams for persons with disability,” Twalib said.
He said Odera pushed him to support his church in Bangladesh in construction of some extension.
“I used to go with him to my farm in Kaloleni. He knew his farm work,” he said.
“He was the last person I was with on September 12 before I went home. I told him I had nothing in the morning and would go to the awards for the Jomvu Model Health Centre the following day at 4 pm.
“So that Friday, he was free in the morning, took his bike to Changamwe and as he was returning home, he met his death in the tragic road accident,” he said.
When he heard the news, Twalib was dumbfounded, according to his assistant Hamza Kombo.
Kombo said Twalib was at his residence in Jomvu and they were planning for the evening’s event.
“Mhesh cried like a baby. I could not believe my eyes. I knew they were close, but had not realized it was that close. I have never seen Mhesh cry like that,” he said.
Twalib said: “He did not hide anything from me. He used to tell me things that no one else would tell me. He was a straightforward person.”
The body of Odera will be flown to Siaya on Friday. Odero has left behind a widow and five children.
Twalib said he would consider hiring his wife to take Odero’s place but in another capacity or open a business for her.
“Odero was the breadwinner. Now he is no more. I would not like to see his family suffer. We will have to do something,” he said.
