Court orders exhumation of GSU officer buried in Church compound

In his judgment, Rongo Principal Magistrate Chrisphine Orwo directed that the remains of the late officer, identified as Dan Ayoo Obura, be reburied at his ancestral home in Kochieng Village, Nyando Sub-County.

Magistrate Orwo further ordered that the deceased’s wife guide public health officers to the exact burial site within the church compound to avoid random digging during the exhumation. The process is to be carried out by a public health officer, with security provided by the Officer Commanding Kamagambo Police Station in Rongo Sub-County.

The court also ruled that the deceased’s wife must be involved in the burial rites at his ancestral home in Nyando, Kisumu County.

In delivering the judgment, Orwo said the court had relied on customary law, noting that it takes precedence in such matters when it is not repugnant to justice.

The court dismissed the respondents’ claim that the late officer was buried in the church compound because he had sold his only piece of land, saying the argument was illogical.

The officer’s wife, Lilian Atieno, has indicated that she intends to appeal the ruling. The GSU officer was buried in the church compound in March 2025.

The St. Joseph Mission of Messiah in Africa, where the burial took place, was shut down by the government several months ago following multiple allegations against it. The premises had earlier been declared a crime scene by security officers in Rongo Sub County.