This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
On August 27, 2019, a controversy surrounding the burial of Thomas Ongesa in Arlington, Texas, USA, came to a head in Kisii County, Kenya.
Thomas Ongesa's widow, Eucabeth Ongesa, had buried him in Texas, despite plans for a burial in Kisii, as revealed by his brother.
The Boigesa Rogongo elders, including mzee Sokoro Ongesa, (Cosmo Choy), were not pleased with the burial and decided to take action.
During a cleansing ritual conducted at Rogongo village, the elders cursed Eucabeth and performed rituals according to Kisii traditions.
According to the elders, they wanted to see Thomas' body, even if it was his remains, brought back home to Kisii.
One of the elders stated, 'Tunataka mtulete Thomas hapa nyumbani, hata mafupa yake tuyaone. Mwanamke ni kitu kidogo hawezi kuwashinda.' (We want Thomas' body brought home, even the remains like bones, a woman is a small creature that cannot defeat you).
The incident drew parallels with the cremation of Ken Okoth, a Kenyan politician, who was cremated against the wishes of his family.
The Luo elders had strongly condemned the act and opted to bury a banana stem in place of Ken, a ceremony that was halted by John Mbadi.
