This archive report was first published on 25 June 2020.
As the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, a crisis has emerged in the way we conduct funerals. The restrictive measures put in place by governments have led to a trust deficit between citizens and authorities, with many Kenyans questioning the rationality of these restrictions.
Published on June 25, 2020, Dr. Steve Ouma Akoth, a legal anthropologist, delves into the complexities of funerary practices in the Covid-19 era. He argues that the struggle between citizens and governments over funerary practices is not just about the deceased, but about the rights of the bereaved to conduct internment in compliance with traditional rites.
Dr. Akoth notes that the Kisumu County government has developed measures to 'regulate funerals', while Siaya has threatened to stop the transportation of bodies from towns for burial. He also highlights the distinction between 'home' as an ancestral place and 'house' as the urban residence, which is perceived as transient.
Speaking to leaders of funeral associations in Nairobi and Mombasa, Dr. Akoth discovered that one of the reasons why the funerary process and internment in one's ancestral home has become so important for the urban poor is that they have never been allowed to belong to the city. They feel powerless and unable to decide even where the authorities should locate their 'mulika mwizi' (the high mast floodlights).
Dr. Akoth's findings suggest that the funeral associations are not just mere tools that reaffirm one's connection to a rural 'home' through the faithful maintenance of 'traditional' burial rites. Rather, they are also political societies that groom their members to be active citizens and work towards consolidating their position in the settlements.
He concludes that the response in the times of Covid-19 should move beyond fiats and restrictions. A more feasible approach is debates and action to ensure that the urban poor are intimately connected and belong to urban areas as 'home'. If more urban poor were to have land tenure and the right to housing, cities like Nairobi and Mombasa would be 'home'. Then, more of the urban poor would consider an urban burial as befitting traditional burial rites administered through social and kin networks.
