This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
Published on September 11, 2019, a shocking incident has left the Abagusii community in the US reeling. Eucabeth Angima, a Kenyan woman living in Dallas, Texas, allegedly buried her deceased husband, Thomas Ong'esa, without informing his family back in Kenya.
According to reports, Ong'esa's family had made arrangements to airlift his remains to Kenya for burial at Rogongo village, Kisii County. However, they were left stunned when they learned that his wife had already buried him in the US.
The incident sparked a heated debate among the Abagusii community in the US, with some members expressing outrage over the secretive manner in which Ong'esa's burial was conducted. Evans Orenge Ombati, a resident of Texas, stated, 'We're not against late Thomas Ong'esa burial in the US, but the secretive manner the rite was planned and conducted, and his hateful disposition has acquired him a large circle of community members, family and friends deeply lament his death.'
Ong'esa's family in Kenya, particularly his aging parents, are said to be living in distress following Eucabeth's decision to bury him secretly. The community has since agreed to prevail upon Eucabeth to exhume Ong'esa's body so he can be accorded a decent burial in Kenya.
