Burial Chaos as Husband Refuses to Sign Papers, Woman Buried at Night

A row between the burial committee and the widower of a 38-year-old woman delayed her burial for several hours and necessitated its conduct in darkness against tradition in Kamiigua Village, Kirinyaga County.

Tabitha Muthoni had been scheduled for interment in the afternoon, but was eventually buried around 7 p.m. After her husband, John Bundi, and relatives failed to reach an agreement on burial money and the unpaid dowry.

Relatives said the dispute erupted when Bundi refused to sign the necessary papers on discovery that money contributed by the burial committee had not been handed over to him.

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Burial Disputes Arise from Disagreements Over Ceremony Control, Dowry Payments, and Financial Contributions

Mr. Peter Waweru, who was leading the burial arrangements, said Bundi wanted equal responsibility over the ceremony.

“He said he had no problem with the burial taking place in his home, but he had the right to decide together with relatives what to do during the burial. This is the reason why he was refusing to sign,” said Mr. Waweru.

Ms. Muthoni’s cousin, Jamleck Muriithi, said an unresolved dowry dispute added fuel to the fire, and an elder court had decreed that Mr. Bundi could not officiate at the funeral, being not yet given her as wife because of outstanding dowry payment.

“Under normal circumstances, Bundi is not supposed to preside over the funeral because he has not fulfilled all the necessary rites by giving dowry to his late wife. That is why he declined to follow us to the mortuary,” Mr. Muriithi said.

However, Mr. Bundi was of the opinion that he was sidelined during the burial arrangements.

“He wanted to know how much money had been collected from all the members of the burial society to assist in the burial,” said Mr. Muthike Kiunga, another relative.

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Family Conflict over Land and Child Support

Mr. Bundi’s failure to show up at Kerugoya Hospital Mortuary later in the afternoon, after relatives had managed to locate him, further delayed the burials as he had no identification documents with him.

The lateness had by then prompted Muthoni’s mother, Mrs. Janet Wanjiku, to prepare an affidavit to enable them to carry out the burial.

Some mourners blamed the husband for evading responsibility, and that he had already sold a part of his land.

They also denied that Bundi was contributing to the upbringing of the children, as the deceased had two children when she got married into Bundi’s family.

Muthoni was finally buried at her mother’s home instead of her husband’s.

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The casket of Tabitha Muthoni rests outside her mother’s homestead in Kamiigua Village, Gichugu, ahead of her burial, following a family dispute over burial funds and dowry. Credits JOHNSON MURIITHI