A funeral of a middle-aged man in Borabu constituency was temporarily suspended by village elders following the appearance of four children who demanded recognition by the deceased's 'family'.
Mr Edward Ongeri’s body was returned to Gucha mortuary in Keroka, awaiting a family resolution whether to accept the four children, aged between 12 and 17 years.
Drama began when a woman believed to have been a wife to the deceased stormed into the compound and dropped the children before driving away in a saloon car, attracting a drama after the eldest son claimed that they had come to give their father a decent send off.
Elders, led by Mzee Jackton Mogire, agreed with the family of the deceased to suspend the funeral programme till the issue was resolved.
"We held a meeting after the incident and agreed to suspend the funeral because the recognized wife Beth Ongeri denounced the new family members. It is a humanitarian decision and we hope the issue will be solved amicably,” he said.
The elders ruled out a possibility of a legal battle and urged the family members to seek a local solution in honor of the deceased who is said to be a staunch believer of SDA church.
“The deceased was a church elder and it will be inappropriate to go to court. I think the elders can help the family arrive an impartial decision,” he said.
However, mourners who had gathered in Ongeri’s homestead condemned the suspension of funeral arguing that it was uncalled for.
“As villagers, we are not happy with the decision which means work will not go on as usual being a norm of honoring the dead by taking a break from any kind of duty. The issue was a bit small since the children had only come for a sendoff,” said Vitellis Nyangena on behalf of a section of mourners.