Agony as Court Stops Mother From Burying Daughter

A mother in Bahati constituency, Nakuru County, is in agony after a court barred her from interring her 25-year-old daughter over land dispute.Family and friends had gathered around Naomi Wanjiru’s home on Saturday morning, February 6, to bury her daughter, but were shocked to discover a court order had been issued blocking them from taking the body from the mortuary.Judge Isaac Karasi Orenge gave the order following a dispute pitting Wanjiru’s family against another party over the piece of land where the daughter was to be laid to rest.  An empty court room.File “This honourable court do stop and thus cancel the burial of Jackline Wanjiku (deceased) by the defendants slated for the 6th February 2021 and the body is in PNN Ngari Mortuary within Nakuru County pending the hearing and determination of this application,” read part of the court order.Late into the evening, the family could only stare at the freshly dug grave meant for their deceased kin. The fresh mound of soil now served as a reminder of the dark chapter they sought to close, but were unfortunately blocked from doing so.Speaking to KTN, the mother took issue with the court ruling wondering why the court could not allow them to bury their daughter on an alternative piece of land.”When we arrived at the mortuary to take her (deceased) body was when we heard reports of a court order, which had blocked the burial process until the land dispute was resolved. I appeal to the court to allow us to bury my daughter so that my heart can feel at ease,” Wanjiru stated.Furthermore, the mother decried the cost incurred with the body being held at the mortuary.”I am in lots of pain because of this situation,” she said.The land dispute case will be heard on Tuesday, February 16.The case mirrors a similar incident in which another family in Nairobi County were blocked from burying their mother, who was based in the US, after their Visa applications were rejected.Martin Muguku and Maina Muguku, had sought a two-week visa in order to lay their mother to rest. They had not seen her for over two decades. However, after paying the non refundable fee of Ksh17,600 each, the US embassy in Nairobi informed them that they had not qualified to be granted Visas. An exterior image of the US Embassy in Gigiri, Nairobi.File