Former Bumula MP Lawrence Sifuna. PHOTO | COURTESY
The death of former Bumula MP Lawrence Sifuna has closed a big chapter in the tale of the radical Kenyan politicians who made a mark in the struggle against oppression and for greater democratisation.
With the exit of the 77-year-old veteran politician, the focus now shifts to another member of the Sifuna family from Bungoma County.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who is also the opposition Orange Democratic Party’s Secretary-General, has fully taken over the mantle from his fallen paternal uncle, who was one of the most vibrant MPs the country has ever had.
Lawrence Sifuna was among the radical politicians who several decades ago stood up against former powerful long-serving Anglophile Attorney-General Charles Njonjo, who, in 1981, derogatively dubbed them the “Bearded Sisters”.
This was during then President Daniel arap Moi’s single-party Kanu dictatorship and Njonjo was then the Constitutional Affairs minister. He lifted the name from a book titled, The Seven Sisters: The Great Oil Companies and the World They Shaped by Anthony Sampson, which was published in 1975.
Besides Sifuna, the other members of the all-men “Seven Bearded Sisters” group were Abuya Abuya, Koigi wa Wamwere, James Orengo, Chibule wa Tsuma, Onyango Midika, and Mwashengu wa Mwachofi. They were part of the group that fought against Kanu single-party dictatorship.
Lawrence Sifuna’s nephew, Edwin, 37, was elected the Nairobi Senator in the August 2022 General Election with an overwhelming mandate after garnering 716,876 votes. And in recognition of his sharp political acumen, he has steadily risen out of his uncle’s shadow. In February 2023, he became the Deputy Minority Whip in the Senate.
Breaking the news of his uncle’s death on his X (formerly Twitter) account on December 3, Edwin wrote: “Hon Lawrence Sifuna, former MP Kanduyi and Bumula constituencies, left (us) last night whilst receiving treatment at an Eldoret hospital, following a stroke he suffered a few days ago. As a family, we are grateful for all the messages of love that we continue to receive.”
ODM party leader and Azimio coalition flag bearer Raila Odinga mourned Sifuna, describing him as a towering figure in the struggle for the second liberation.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Hon Lawrence Simiyu Sifuna, a former MP, a key figure in the second liberation, defender of the people, and a life member of ODM. My condolences to the Sifuna family, Party SG Edwin Sifuna, the people of Kanduyi, and the entire nation. May he RIP (Rest in Peace)!”
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula praised Sifuna as a distinguished leader, who executed his duties with dedication and courage, both at the national and community levels. Wetang’ula is the leader of Ford-Kenya, which is the most dominant party in Bungoma County.
The former MP’s funeral service will be held on December 16, at Siritanyi Primary School in Kanduyi constituency in Bungoma before being laid to rest the same day.
The former lawmaker was known for his passionate campaign for the rights of sugarcane growers in western Kenya. He relentlessly also fought to improve the living conditions of Kenyan workers.
Lawrence Sifuna, who was born on January 23, 1946, was the first MP for Bumula constituency, serving from 1979 to 1988.
He was a Fellow of the Association of International Accountants, having started school in Bungoma before venturing into neighbouring Uganda for his secondary and college education.
Sifuna was one of the radical MPs in the 1980s, who were perceived to be left-wing and who vigorously opposed government policies that violated the people’s basic human rights. This was at the height of the oppressive system that was presided over by the rungu-wielding President Moi.
He would later play an important role in the group of brave politicians and academics who fought for what is generally considered to have been the country’s second liberation. The first was the anti-colonial struggle that led to independence in 1963, with the country becoming a republic a year later, on December 12, which is marked annually as Jamhuri (Independence) Day.
In the 1988 poll, Sifuna lost his Bungoma South parliamentary seat to Maurice Makhanu, a former Provincial Commissioner. It was later renamed Kanduyi constituency.
But he made a political comeback in the 1992 General Election, reclaiming his parliamentary seat on a Ford Asili ticket, teaming up in western Kenya with Butere MP Martin Shikuku, and Stanley Njindo Matiba as the national party chairman.
His signature characteristic was his parted hair in the middle of the head, popularly known as “lori”, which he retained throughout his life.
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