Mburu Kinani family defends Gilgil burial, dismisses claims of secret interment

Prof. Tom Ojienda, the family lawyer addresses journalists, [Photo/Courtesy]

The family of the late Mburu Kinani has strongly defended their decision to bury him at his Gilgil home, dismissing as false allegations that the interment was carried out secretly and without dignity.

Kinani, who died on November 20, 2024, was finally laid to rest on September 17, 2025, after ten long months in the morgue and a bruising succession of court battles between his children from two marriages.

Barely a day after the High Court settled the matter and sanctioned the burial in Gilgil, his step-family from Gatanga raised fresh claims that the patriarch had been buried “at night” and denied proper rites.

But speaking to the press, Kinani’s Gilgil family, through their lawyer Prof. Tom Ojienda and Kiambu Deputy Governor Rosemary Njeri Kirika, termed the accusations “fallacious, malicious and an insult to the deceased.”

“The court made a clear pronouncement that our father be laid to rest in Gilgil, beside his wife Magdalene Waithera. We honored that ruling and conducted the ceremony with dignity, according to his Christian faith and Agikuyu customs,” Kirika said.

Prof. Ojienda underscored that the burial was not only lawful but also in line with the patriarch’s wishes:

“Courts are guided by the choices of the deceased. Mr. Kinani expressed his will to be buried in Gilgil, where he lived for more than four decades and established a permanent home.”

The family accused their step-siblings of attempting to reopen a painful chapter that had already been closed by the courts.

“Our father’s body had overstayed in the morgue for ten months. To now suggest that we buried him without dignity is not only untrue but an affront to his memory,” Kirika noted, warning that those tarnishing her name, family, church and place of work risked defamation suits.

The burial dispute had split the family into two camps.

Children of Kinani’s first wife, Phelis Wanjiru, wanted him buried in Gatanga, Murang’a County, citing Kikuyu customs and the resting place of his parents and first wife.

Those from his second wife, Magdalene Waithera, argued that Gilgil was his home and that he wished to be buried next to Magdalene on his farm.

An earlier ruling by Principal Magistrate G.M. Gitonga in June had directed burial in Murang’a, but the High Court overturned the decision.

On September 16, Lady Justice Helene R. Namisi decreed that Kinani be laid to rest at his Gilgil farm, stressing that arrangements must respect his faith and heritage, and be led by the Gilgil family with the participation of the Gatanga side.

Even so, the Gilgil family maintained that the chapter is now closed.

“Anyone still aggrieved has the option of returning to court, even to pursue exhumation, but propaganda and falsehoods cannot change the fact that our father has been laid to rest with dignity and in accordance with the law,” Kirika concluded.