Elgeyo Marakwet man stuns villagers after asking to be buried in bamboo coffin

Imagine being buried in a coffin made from bamboo trees. Well, the precedent had already been set by Noble Peace Prize laureate the late Prof. Wangari Maathai.

The rather sustainable idea seems to have inspired an old man from Matungeni in Keiyo South, Elgeyo Marakwet County.

He was buried in a bamboo coffin and without clothes; the reason? He wanted his remains to quickly decompose.

It was a first in the area, a peculiar coffin that held the remains of Joseph Kipchoge, stunned those who came to pass their last respects.

Elder Joseph, as he was fondly known was born in 1940, and as some area residents narrated, was never sick a day in his life. He also had a strong affinity for the environment.

Many of the family members said the old man set a good example of taking care of the environment. His coffin certainly served that purpose, but also reducing the high cost his funeral would have cost his loved ones.

It is a send-off to remember for the community; elder Joseph’s final farewell is a reminder to all that from dust we came and to dust we will return.