Family members seek exhumation orders after unionist 'buried against culture'

Some members of the family of the late Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) second national vice chairman John Wesonga have threatened to move to court for orders to exhume his body so they can "bury him properly" according to the local culture.

The three wives of the late Wesonga were embroiled in bitter wars over which home to lay him to rest before his controversial burial at the home of his younger wife on Friday, July 28, 2023.

The aggrieved family members say Wesonga was buried hurriedly, at 8 am, before they could reach a consensus on his final resting place.

They said Wesonga's burial did not follow the dictates of the Wanga culture.

Wesonga was buried in Matungu constituency, Kakamega County, in a brief ceremony witnessed by a few family members. A contingent of armed police officers was also brought in to ease tension.

There are those who were pushing for Wesonga to be buried at the home of his first wife, according to the Wanga burial rites.

Jefferson Luta, the eldest son of the unionist, told the Standard that a top Knut official, who was a friend to his father, was out to frustrate them.

The Wanga culture required that Wesonga is taken around his three homes before burial but this did not happen, according to family members.

"The official is the one who supported his burial at the controversial burial site. The Knut official has been working with our father's youngest wife to frustrate us. His interference has made our father buried like a rat despite his standing in society. Our father was buried in the absence of members of the clergy," Luta said.

He added: "I fail to understand who authorized the burial when we, the sons of the eldest wife, have the original burial permit. It pains me that we were chased out of the burial ceremony by armed police officers. We tried to show them the burial permit but they would have non of it."

Jane Okutoyi and Claire Watakho, the other wives to Wesonga, said they have already contacted lawyers to prepare pleadings to use in court against what they termed illegal burial that also went against the local culture.

"As a family, we had agreed that he would be buried at his ancestral home in Khabukoshe in Matungu constituency but the arrangements were frustrated by a small but influential section of the family," Okutoyi said.

Clansmen in the Abanashienu culture backed them saying a man of Wesonga's standing should not have been buried outside his ancestral home.

"What happened was a breach of our culture and it has to be rectified to avoid a catastrophe. He deserved to be buried at his ancestral home where his father and grandfather were buried, it's that simple," said Boniface Mumbo, an elder.

Mumbo added: "These people are joking with our culture. His body would have first been taken to the home of his third wife, then to that of his second wife before burial at the home of his first wife. None of that happened. There are people who think that everything will be fine. No."

Knut secretary-general Collins Oyuu, who was among the dignitaries who attended the funeral, said the family members who are complaining are just being mischievous.

He said that the controversial burial site was arrived at following lengthy meetings with family members. The meetings, Oyuu said, were led by senior clansmen from Matungu.

"Everyone in the family had agreed on the burial site and I fail to understand why they are turning around to say they were not involved in the plans. The third wife is the one who has been there for Wesonga throughout his sickness. We never saw the other two wives," Oyuu said.

He said the stopped the ritualistic rite of taking Wesonga's body to the homes of the other wives after receiving information that some youth had been organised to hijack it and bury it at the home of his first wife.

"All we wanted was a decent send-off for our leader. We hired police officers to maintain law and order as we buried him. We had received information that some youths were planning to cause violence and bury the body at the first wife's home by force. That is why we engaged the police," said Oyuu.

He said his team wanted the body buried at the third wife's home and procured a burial permit after refusing to be blackmailed by the aggrieved family members who were pushing for an alternative burial site.

"On behalf of the National steering, NEC and the entire teaching fraternity, may I convey our heartfelt message of condolence at this trying time," Mr Oyuu said during the burial.

The 57-year-old Wesonga also served as the Director of Kakamega County Water and Sanitation Company (KACWASCO). He died of colon cancer on July 6.

He also served as the provincial secretary of the then-western provincial council where he rose to the rank of a member of the National Executive Council.

He then successfully contested and became the second vice-national chairman where he served till his death.

mmunuve@standardmedia.co.ke