There was drama and surprise in equal measure when County Government enforcement officers in Western Kenya exhumed the body of the colleagues with the goal of retrieving his work uniform.
Martin Shikuku had been laid to rest in full work regalia, probably as a sign of respect from his colleagues. However, his co-workers came back, at the dead of the night, unburied his body and left with his, former, work uniform.
His family now saw that the colleagues went against traditions and their actions could anger the dead man’s forefathers.
“We had fully involved the county government in the burial arrangements and they never resisted our proposal to bury [him] in his work regalia,” Francis Mutamba said, in a statement sent to the Daily Nation Newspaper.
The family insists that they did not give consent to the action terming the move as a gross violation of the laws of the land. The area assistant chief threatened to commence legal processes against the officials, terming their actions as a disgrace to the community.
The family had to redress the body and conduct a fresh burial ceremony, a week after the incident.
