The first wife to former Kakamega Senator Dr Boni Khalwale, Adelaide Khalwale died on Saturday and the vocal politician has promised to give her a dignified funeral.
Indicating how family and elders will be at the centre of burial arrangements, Khalwale said his elder brother will lead them in the special ceremony.
“We are hoping that, if my family allows, we shall give Adelaide a short and dignified funeral. Our eldest brother, who is 86 years old, will guide us on that,” said the former senator as quoted by K24.
This means that there will be certain rituals that will be observed in line with how the Luhya mourn the death of their loved ones.
The simplest ritual that will be observed is weeping and crying out loud. Secondly, the former Okolomani MP will only be allowed to bury his wife if he paid dowry.
If Khalwale maintains his touch with culture as he has done publicly during bullfighting, Adelaide will spend a night or two in their living room waiting for burial. This is a show of love even after death.
The wife will be buried in front of their main house on the left-hand side. Being the first wife, the front of the main house on the right-hand side will be reserved for Khalwale.
Food will also be plenty despite criticism from some communities who feel the Luhya turn funerals into festivals. Goats, cows, chicken, ugali and traditional liquor are some of the meals and drinks that will be available.
“It is also believed that plenty of food should be cooked during a funeral service to allow the mourners eat the amount of food the deceased could have consumed if they were alive, so people should stop criticising our community that we make celebrations in funerals,” a Luhya elder once told the Standard in a past interview.
However, some of these rituals might not be observed due to religion and general civilization.