This archive report was first published on 7 August 2020.
Ken Ouko's Widow Speaks Out on Covid-19 Burial Controversy ¶
On August 7, 2020, the burial of University of Nairobi lecturer Ken Ouko was marked by controversy and hitches that might have contributed to his delayed burial.
According to Dr Sam Ouko, Ken's uncle and Chief pharmacist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri), it took his intervention for Mrs Grace Ouko to be allowed to bury her husband.
Dr Ouko regretted that the family was sidelined at its time of need and blamed the Homa Bay County Covid-19 emergency response team for failing to follow stipulated regulations and attempting to deny the family an opportunity to bury the renowned sociology lecturer.
“In line with government restrictions on how to bury Covid-19 victims, we encountered many difficulties in having the body buried after 48 hours and ensuring his widow and children gave their loved one a befitting send off,” Dr Ouko said at the don’s home in Nyandiwa, Homa Bay.
The burial was marked with the heavy presence of the police who manned the compound as villagers followed proceedings through the fence.
Mr Ouko’s father, 89-year-old Caleb Ouko, blamed the confusion ahead of his burial on conflicting information from Homa Bay County officials.
“At one time we were told it was risky for the family to visit the home while the next time they said it was ok,” he said.
Regarding his illness, Mrs Ouko said Ken was being treated for a bacterial infection but it persisted, hence the coronavirus test.
“For the first one week he was at the isolation centre at Aga Khan hospital, he asked for his laptop so he could do some work,” she said.
“The situation worsened in the second week when he was put in the ICU and on ventilation machines.”
The don was buried at the family graveyard next to his mother and brother.
