Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has revealed that President William Ruto wanted to attend the burial of his late wife, Gloria Sekeiyan Khalwale, but he personally asked the Head of State not to come.
Speaking during Gloria’s burial service at Malinya Stadium in Kakamega on Friday, August 21, Khalwale said Ruto had contacted him through his personal assistant, Farouk Kibet, seeking the coordinates where his plane could land ahead of the funeral.
Khalwale said he instead conveyed a request that the President stay away, explaining that he wanted the occasion to remain a dignified family affair.
“William Ruto asked me to send coordinates for his plane to land. I told him through his PA, Farouk Kibet, that when someone is bereaved, you do not need to ask them to send you landing coordinates,” he said. “I asked him that I want the burial service of my wife, the mother of my kids, to be as nice as this, that he should not come.”
The senator said his decision was also influenced by the political tensions surrounding his relationship with sections of the Kenya Kwanza administration and growing political activity in Western Kenya.
According to Khalwale, he feared that Ruto’s presence could shift attention from mourning his wife to politics, particularly given the divisions between him and some senior leaders in the region.
The senator also took issue with the absence of several senior Western Kenya leaders, including Senate Speaker Amason Kingi and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, whom he accused of staying away because of political differences.
In contrast, several opposition leaders attended the burial, including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi and DCP Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala.
Khalwale went further to praise Sifuna for being among the first leaders to reach out to him following Gloria’s death and for contributing KSh500,000 towards the funeral preparations.
He used the occasion to endorse Sifuna’s presidential ambitions and called on Western Kenya residents to unite behind the Linda Mwananchi movement as the Nairobi senator builds his political base ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Gloria died on August 15 after suddenly collapsing from what was reported as a suspected heart attack. She left behind eight children.
