Uasin Gishu Women Representative Gladys Boss Shollei has raised concerns about the silence and the 'absence' of President Uhuru Kenyatta in the wake of the Likoni ferry tragedy that continues to consume the public discourse.
Speaking during a wide-ranging panel discussion aired on Royal Media Services-owned Citizen Television, the outspoken Jubilee legislator noted that the head of state had been absent for quite some time.
"And the reality is Uhuru Kenyatta has been absent for a while now. I mean that is the reality. We don't see the president as we should and we were used as Kenyans," the Uasin Gishu women rep said.
She recalled the presence of the former president of Kenya Daniel Arap Moi in the event of tragedies.
President Uhuru has not uttered a word, at least not publicly, about the Likoni tragedy that claimed the lives of Mariam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu, who perished after their car sunk at the Likoni Channel after it rolled off the rear ramp of a ferry.
Recovery efforts are ongoing as divers from a multiplicity of agencies continue with the delicate operation.
Government spokesman Retired Colonel Cyrus Oguna has been overseeing the operation from the Likoni Channel, an indicator that the head of state is closely following what is going on in Mombasa.