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A family in Shamsinjiri Matioli village, Khwisero Constituency Kakamega County has been thrown into confusion and disbelief after their kin who was presumed dead and buried turned up alive after the burial.
Joseph Alucheri was believed to have drowned in River Yala. His family found the body that they thought belonged to their kin and took it to the mortuary.
But, on the day, the family went to take the body from the mortuary Alucheri's wife disputed the body claiming it was not that of her husband. However, the husband's family led by his mother and uncles stood firm maintaining that the deceased was their kin.
On Saturday during the burial, a friend of the presumed deceased man who had been added to the WhatsApp group for burial arrangements called Alucheri's mother informing her that her son was in Nairobi.
The mother informed the mourners about the new happening, sending mourners scampering out of the compound in disbelief.
However, the parents and uncles went ahead and buried the dead person.
Right after the burial, Alucheri called the family, asking to be sent bus fare so that he can travel back home, and on Sunday he arrived home lamenting why his family was quick to conduct a burial thought to be his without being sure he was dead.
Alucheri's sister Everlyne Ayeta says she also doubted that the presumed body was that of her brother but her opinion was ignored.
"I said that this was not my brother's body but my uncles dismissed me," said Ayeta. She adds that it was a difficult moment for the family to have incurred such expenses only to learn that it was not their kin.
"We deeply regret the decision by our uncles who insisted that the body was my brother's. We call upon our uncles to sort the mess they created," said Ayeta.
Alucheri's mother, who only identifies herself as Mama Antonia, blamed her brothers-in-law for identifying the wrong body.
"My brothers-in-law are the ones who said my son had drowned in the river and we have to take the body to the mortuary and even on the day we went to take the body they insisted that the body belonged to our kin," said Mama Antonia.
"We bought the clothes, a casket, and hired vehicles to transport the body and all these cost us Sh30,000 which we want my brother-in-law to refund us."
On Tuesday, the body was retrieved by the police and taken back to the mortuary since by the time of exhuming no one had come to claim the disputed body. [Benard Lusigi]
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