There was drama in Webuye, Bungoma County, after the burial of a man was halted following a heated argument between his three wives as to who deserved to bury the dead husband.
Each one of them claimed the right to bury the deceased, blaming each other for events that unfolded before his funeral.
Elders tried to intervene and urged the women to put their differences aside and allow for a peaceful send-off for the old man, claiming that it was against Bukusu traditions to return the coffin home without the body inside.
“And, according to the tradition of the Luhyas or the Bukusus, you cannot bring a coffin home without the body. Now the the coffin will be returned and will not be used when the case is over,” said an old man.
It is reported that the third wife accused the first wife and asked her to stay away from the funeral because she never showed up when Mzee needed help.
According to the traditions of the Luhya people from the county of Bungoma, the old man’s body will have to be returned to the mortuary and another coffin bought after the incident.
A wife who spoke to the media stated that she had no problem and simply wanted to give her husband a proper send-off, claiming that she fought with him while he was in the hospital.
“I have no problem; if they decide to bury the old man, let the old man be buried. We don’t want war; we want to bury our old man in peace because he was a happy man. It doesn’t matter that he died by my hands because I was with him until the last minute.”
Sam Oduor is the founder and one of the editors at WKT. With a strong background in Communication and Journalism, Sam is an experienced digital media expert currently building a team of young professionals dedicated to telling the story of our community in a unique, authentic way.
