This archive report was first published on 1 August 2019.
Ken Okoth, the former Kibra MP, passed away on July 26, 2019, at Nairobi Hospital after a long battle with colorectal cancer.
His family is now embroiled in a dispute over his final wishes, with his wife, Monica Okoth, pushing for cremation, citing Okoth's verbal communication of his preference.
However, Okoth's mother, Angeline Okoth, has expressed opposition to cremation, threatening to boycott the process if it goes ahead.
On August 1, 2019, a Nairobi court issued an order stopping the cremation of Okoth's body until a case filed by Ann Muthoni, who claims to be Okoth's second wife, is heard.
Muthoni, through her lawyer Elkana Mogaka Thumbi, alleged that Okoth's family had deliberately excluded her from the funeral and burial arrangements.
According to court documents, Muthoni claimed that the family had unilaterally decided to cremate the body 'among other reasons to primarily destroy any evidence of her son's lineage to Okoth.'
The case will be heard on August 9, 2019.
ODM leader Raila Odinga had earlier stated that the body would be handled in the same way as that of former presidential candidate Kenneth Matiba, who was cremated in line with his wishes.
