Burial arrangements of a Bodaboda operator in Nakuru County were thrown into disarray after his 99-year-old father moved to seek a court order to stop his interment.
Lady Justice Abigael Mshila directed parties in the suit filed by Benjamin Kibiwott (a former teacher) to appear in court for an inter-parties hearing on Monday as the court seeks an amicable solution to the matter.
The judge further stopped the burial until the dispute surrounding the burial site is heard and determined.
Wilson Kerich, 46 who died on February 15 in a motorcycle accident near Molo town was to be buried at his Keringet home in Molo sub-county two weeks ago however, his father moved to court claiming that the deceased’s home was illegally within his 60 acre parcel of land.
Differences emerged in the family over the burial site of the deceased after the father disowned the family arguing that he was not legally married to the deceased’s mother.
His body has been lying at the Molo District Hospital Mortuary as his family braces for a vigorous court battle that only serves to add insult to their sorrow.
Kibiwott further claimed that the late Kerich was not part of his family and that they had no right to bury his body on his land.
The deceased’s brother Charles Kerich who spoke to this writer said that the wailing, cries and tears that would have accompanied his brother’s burial have been ‘laid to rest’ and the family is now in a state of confusion.
“Relatives and friends have suspended paying tribute to my brother as we battle for his burial site,” said the deceased brother.
The deceased’s mother Mary Chelagat who is the first accused in the suit wants the court to order for a DNA test to ascertain the paternity of her children to end the row.
Kibiwott who is also a former Kirobon Farm Manager also owns other parcels of land in Ngata, Subukia where he has settled his other four wives.