This archive report was first published on 6 January 2022.
January 6, 2022, marked a significant day for the family of Joseph Njuguna, who was mauled by hyenas in 2017. After a four-year wait, the government finally gave them the green light to bury his remains.
The family had been living with the corpse in a wooden box in Komo village, Thika, Kiambu County. The long wait for DNA test results had left them devastated, but they were finally able to take the first step towards giving Njuguna a decent burial.
According to Agnes Waithera, Njuguna's sister-in-law, detectives from the DCI headquarters visited the family on Monday and informed them that the DNA test results were out. The family was asked to take the remaining body parts to General Kago mortuary in Thika for a postmortem.
Waithera said the family was relieved to finally have the opportunity to process a burial permit and give Njuguna a befitting send-off. The family had been keeping the remains in a wooden box to avoid huge mortuary bills.
Two days after the attack, Njuguna's relatives collected a few body parts, including ribs, intestines, bones, and hair. They also found tattered clothes at the scene.
Speaking to Nyakundi Report, Margaret Njeri, Njuguna's 95-year-old mother, expressed her relief at finally being able to bury her son. She had been living with his remains for five years and had feared that she might die before giving him a decent burial.
“The four years of waiting have been very challenging. We hardly imagine that we live in the same house with Njuguna’s remains and it’s not within our culture to fail to bury loved ones once they die,” Njeri said.
