This archive report was first published on 12 June 2020.
On June 13, a family in Kisii, Kenya, held a unique funeral procession for their kin, Dr. Thomas Nyambane, a 69-year-old Kenyan-American community leader who succumbed to COVID-19 in the US.
The family and friends from Bokinami village, Sameta Subcounty, gathered around a screen to follow the burial proceedings live via Zoom, a testament to the challenges posed by the pandemic.
According to the family, Dr. Nyambane died three weeks ago, but his body could not be transported back home due to travel restrictions around the world, which have kept the Kenyan airspace closed for passenger flights since March.
“The father of three complained of shortness of breath on April 30 and was hospitalized, but when he was tested, he turned positive for the virus,” said Zephaniah Omanga Nyambane, a brother to the deceased.
Dr. Nyambane was a community leader in Minnesota, where he was credited with uniting Kisiis living in the city that was the epicentre of protests last week following the killing of George Floyd, an African-American who stopped breathing when a white police officer pressed his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
As a college educator, Dr. Nyambane taught at Hennepin Technical College, and his loss has been mourned by many, including the president of the Minnesota Kenya Association, Geoffrey Gichana, who described him as a mentor whose wise counsel will be missed.
