This archive report was first published on 3 July 2020.
Patricia Botwright, an 80-year-old British missionary, dedicated her life to helping street children in Kenya. She founded the Hingham Christian Fellowship in Uganda and later established the Covenant Community Orphanage in Kenya in 1999.
However, when donors pulled out in 2014, she transferred the land to another charity organization, which renamed it Victory Orphanage. Botwright then relocated to Mamboleo and opened another home, calling it Covenant Orphanage.
When Botwright passed away, her UK family insisted that she had requested to be cremated, citing a will that allegedly directed her body be cremated. However, the Dunga family, who were street children she had rescued and raised, claimed that Botwright had told them to bury her body within the organization.
Yesterday, the two groups clashed in Kisumu's Dunga estate as her UK family fought with the residents for burial rights. The Dunga family refused to let the body be taken from the viewing site to the hearse, claiming it was too early and wanted to view it until evening.
Police were forced to use teargas to disperse the rowdy crowd, who ignored Covid-19 guidelines and marched around the compound with the coffin. According to Charles Otieno, one of the leaders of the organization, the family had been given until 1pm to view the body and take it back to the morgue, but they insisted on viewing it until 4pm.
However, it has since been revealed that Botwright's body was cremated at 11am yesterday, as per her will. Erick Latet, an official at the orphanage, confirmed that the missionary's body was cremated, stating that her will was that her body be cremated, and that is what they did.
