I was prepared to die, man who heckled during Moi’s funeral service at Nyayo says | VIDEO

Thirty-year-old Daniel Wekesa Nalyanya hogged media headlines on Tuesday, February 11, when he “heckled” as the Late retired president Daniel Moi’s funeral service was proceeding at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

“Rais wangu Uhuru, kuna jambo nataka kukuambia,” Wekesa stood abruptly, and uttered the words, sending the president’s security guards’ hands flying onto his mouth and gagging him. Wekesa attempted to free himself so that he could put his message across. Four well-built guards, however, managed to lift him high up, and took him out of the venue.

The father-of-two says he was seated at a spot designated for county commissioners. But, how did he get there?

“After organisers realised they had set aside many seats that outnumbered the county commissioners’ population, they asked civilians, who had arrived early at Nyayo, to occupy the seats. That was how I ended up sitting at a spot considered so-near to the president’s dais,” said Wekesa.

The tricenarian said he was roughed up after being taken away from the scene, but not to the extent people speculated he would.

“The security officers only punched me in the face and scratched my face using their nails. They did not target my key organs while beating me up. My genitals, rib area and the back of the head are all in good shape,” he said.

“I was detained at Nyayo Stadium holding cells until 1pm, when I was released after a senior police officer called the area OCPD and ordered that I should be freed.

“On that day, I had told myself, ‘I will do everything to catch the president’s attention, even if it means losing my life while attempting to do that’. I was prepared to die; seeing Uhuru was my only aim.”

Wekesa told K24 Digital that he had, previously, attempted to get the president’s attention without success.

“I wanted to tell the president that I have tried on three occasions to catch his attention to no avail. I had, previously, tried accessing State House-Nairobi, but I was stopped at the gate by GSU officers manning the residence. There was a day eight GSU officers, who had -- a few weeks earlier -- stopped me from entering State House, directly told me: ‘Enyewe, mwanaume umetafuta kazi’. I pray that one day the president can grant me audience so that I tell him the problems young people are going through,” said Wekesa.

The father-of-two says he left his Mlolongo home on Monday 7pm and arrived at Nyayo Stadium at 10:30pm after covering the 27 kilometers’ distance on foot.

“I had for long planned to meet the president, and the Moi funeral service was another opportunity for me to try catch President Kenyatta’s attention. So, after preparing ugali and eating with my wife on Monday night, I left the house like someone who was headed to the toilet. She did not know where I had gone to. Upon arriving at Nyayo at 10:30pm Monday, the security officers told me no one would be allowed in until 5am the following day when the gates would be opened for the public. I spent the night storying with the guards until 5am, when I got the chance to get into the venue,” said Wekesa.

All that while, his wife thought he had gone missing and went to file a missing person’s report at Mlolongo police post.

Later Tuesday, when videos of him being lifted up and bundled out of Nyayo Stadium made the rounds on social media, his brothers managed to reach his wife and informed her that her husband had attempted to disrupt the Moi funeral service programme.

“My wife asked me why I hadn’t told her that I had planned to disrupt the Moi funeral service programme. I replied to her: ‘Had I told you, you would have locked me up in the house’. I am going through a lot of financial problems, and that was the only way I could catch the president’s attention,” he said.

Wekesa holds a certificate in automotive engineering from a technical college in Nairobi.

He says after completing his education in 2015, he has struggled to get employment.

“I currently do menial jobs, including trimming people’s flower beds in Syokimau to fend for my family.”

Wekesa was born and raised in Kanduyi, Bungoma Constituency. He attended Shangwe Primary School and Kijana Wamalwa Secondary School before moving to Nairobi, where he enrolled for automotive engineering certificate course at a TTC in the capital city.

He says he has also studied heavy commercial vehicles driving course.

The job he wishes the president can give him, is military work.

Wekesa and his wife have two daughters aged 3 and 1.