Squabbles as Ojode's kin ask Marende to halt insurance pay

A row has emerged over the Sh10 million insurance payout to the family of former internal security assistant minister Orwa Ojode.

Mr Ojode’s elder brother, Mr Samuel Awuodi Ojode, has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Kenneth Marende and the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Patrick Gichohi, asking them to stop the payments.

“This is to request you to stop any payment of any compensation or death benefits to the widow or any other party until matters relating to the administration of the (the late Ojode’s) estate are resolved,” Mr Awuodi, wrote in the letter dated July 2, 2012.

The letter was also copied to the firm of city lawyer Patrick Lutta, Lutta & Company Advocates and to the widow, Mrs Mary Ojode.

It is understood that the letter has already been received in Parliament, and because of the broad wording, it is said that there’s another Sh10 million pending payout under the General Accident Cover from Kenindia Insurance, which is also targeted by Mr Ojode’s brother.

All the 224 MPs are covered by Jubilee Insurance for life cover while Kenindia provides group personal accident cover.

Mr Ojode died in a plane crash on June 10, in which six people died including the country’s minister of Internal Security, Prof George Saitoti, two bodyguards and two pilots. He was buried on June 17 at his home in Ndhiwa Constituency.

Jubilee Insurance paid out the Sh10 million each to Parliament for the families of Prof Saitoti, Mr Ojode and the late environment minister John Michuki.

When he received the cheques, Speaker Kenneth Marende said the life cover is for compensation of MPs who die from any other cause other than accident.

“The insurance cover takes care of welfare of Members and ensure Kenyans receive value from Parliament for services provided by representative institutions,” Mr Marende said.

Mr Awuodi said he’d written the letter on behalf of his mother, Mrs Ulda Aloo Ojode “and other dependants”, with whom the deceased’s widow had “totally refused to discuss or cooperate with on matters relating to the deceased’s estate”.

“If any payment must be made, the same should be paid to the public trustee who will hold the same for the benefit of all the dependants,” said Mr Awuodi in the letter to his lawyer.

When the Nation reached him, Mr Awuodi said there were “family problems” that have to be sorted out between the widow and the rest of the extended family, more so, the dependants of the late minister.

“I don’t want to talk too much about it. You should know that if you see me doing this, then there’s something wrong,” said Mr Awuodi as he insisted that being the elder son, he was acting on behalf of the other family members.

He claimed that soon after the assistant minister’s burial, the widow kicked close family members out of the home and opted to “deal with strangers”.

“She’s dealing with strangers. She does not want to speak to us. We’ve tried calling her, she’s not picking up our calls,” Mr Awuodi, 56, told the Nation.

Calls to Mrs Ojode’s cellphone number went unanswered. Efforts to use intermediaries to get her to speak about her side of the story failed to bear fruit.