This archive report was first published on 14 November 2019.
On November 13, 2019, a family in Magumu, Kinangop, Nyandarua County, buried a 34-year-old man named Walter Makumi three days before the scheduled burial date.
The hurried burial, which took place in the wee hours of Wednesday, was met with resistance from a section of family members and villagers who had agreed on November 16 as the burial day.
According to witnesses, the burial was carried out by Makumi's brothers, who had obtained a burial permit, without the knowledge or consent of his wife, Jane Wanjiru Makumi.
Wanjiru, a technician at Kihara Hospital in Kiambu, had been working at the hospital and was not aware of the burial plans.
She claimed that trouble started when her husband's relatives twice shifted the body from the mortuary without consulting her, allegedly to prevent her from accessing her husband's properties.
Magumu Location Chief Ng'ang'a Njuguna stated that the family had a legal burial permit, making it difficult for the authorities to intervene.
Wanjiru expressed her frustration, saying, 'We have been married for eight years and have two boys, but I have been locked out of the burial arrangements as they are after my husband's properties.'
