Exhumation of Pastor Edward Maghanga's body.
A family exhumed the body of a pastor to protest his burial without their involvement at Vindo in Voi, Taita Taveta County.
The late Pastor Edward Maghanga had allegedly been buried by his wife, Pasisi Wasai, without the involvement of his mother and siblings.
The pastor’s death, which occurred almost two weeks ago, is still under investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Voi.
His wife said he slipped and fell in his mine at Sagalla.
On April 16, the family sought a court order for exhumation, but the court scheduled a hearing by both parties on Monday.
In the case, the applicant, Felix Mwanyumba Maghanga (brother of the deceased) sued the widow and the OCS of Voi Police Station for burying the pastor without involving his family.
However, the case did not proceed after the applicant's advocate filed new affidavits, leading the court to postpone the hearing to June 16.
On Monday night, the pastor's relatives decided to exhume the body themselves and transported it to Mwaktau village in Mwatate for burial at his parents' home.
Exhumed coffin containing the remains of Pastor Edward Maghanga.
Speaking during the exhumation, Hannah Maghanga, the dead man’s mother, said she had requested the exhumation of his son so the family could give him a proper send-off.
"If the police come after us, they should arrest me. I am the one who asked for my son to be exhumed so that I can bury him where he is supposed to be buried," she said.
She accused her daughter-in-law of rushing the burial in a secluded place, despite an earlier agreement to take the body to Mwakitau.
"The court is taking too long to give me justice, and the police are not helping either. I don’t care whether this is legal or not but I just want the body of my son," she said.
Missing body
The relatives said they learned that the pastor's body had already been buried at Vindo when they went to Moi County Referral Hospital’s mortuary in Voi to collect it for a burial ceremony in Mwaktau.
Mr Octavian Mwanyumba, a brother of the deceased, recalled receiving a disturbing phone call from his sister who was at the mortuary, notifying him of the unexpected burial.
"We were only informed that our brother had already been buried, yet we had prepared a grave at Mwakitau,” he said.
"The death of our brother raises many questions. The police have not assisted us in uncovering the truth. We need to know what really happened," he said.
Asked for comment, the widow’s family said they would not pursue the matter further.
"The pastor was buried according to his wishes and since we already did that we have let the family do what they wish. We are surprised at how this has unfolded, and it is very unfortunate," said a close relative of the widow, who wished to remain anonymous.
