Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has pledged to build a mausoleum for the late Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno, describing it as a lasting tribute to a close political ally. Gachagua made the commitment on Friday while visiting Ng’eno’s family in Mogondo, Narok County, saying, “I will help in the construction of a mausoleum in remembrance of Johana Ng’eno. I will build it because this leader resting here was my very good friend.”
Ng’eno’s mother, Mary Temas, had appealed to the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader to build a structure sheltering her son’s grave.
Gachagua also pledged support for a hospitalized member of the Ng’eno family during the visit. The gesture comes months after Gachagua controversially skipped Ng’eno’s burial in March, citing objections to sharing space with leaders he blamed for tormenting the MP in life. Ng’eno, who died in a February plane crash in Mosop, Nandi County, was among lawmakers who voted to impeach Gachagua in October 2024 — though Gachagua has maintained the two remained close confidants.
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Separately, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has undertaken construction of a mausoleum for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at his ancestral home in Bondo, Siaya County. The initiative, now budgeted at Sh30 million after an earlier misreported figure of Sh300 million, was approved in June 2026 through a formal tender by the National Museums of Kenya (NMK). The project follows Odinga’s death in October 2025 at age 80. The design, a pentagonal structure by NMK Chief Architect Sanso Malaki, embodies themes of strength and unity.
It will stand adjacent to the existing Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Mausoleum. Patrick Mariru, the Defence Principal Secretary, emphasized the accelerated timeline, with military coordination ensuring completion by September 30, just before the October 15 anniversary of Odinga’s passing. Both memorials show Kenya’s evolving political culture of honouring departed leaders through permanent monuments, even as they highlight sharply different scales, a grassroots pledge in Narok versus a state-backed national heritage project in Siaya.
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