Two Wives, Two Truths: The bitter family feud that shadowed Bosco Kebati’s burial

The conflict, which began as an emotionally-charged graveside confrontation, has escalated into a public feud over family responsibilities, financial disputes, and claims of exclusion.

The public first became aware of the rift through content creator Lyndah Kebati, the daughter of Bosco’s second wife, Angelica Akinyi. 

In a video recorded at her father's burial that quickly circulated across social media platforms, Lyndah expressed anger and grief over her family's treatment during the funeral preparations.

A visibly angry Lyndah alleged that she and her mother were systematically shut out of the burial arrangements by her father’s first family. 

She claimed she was barred from viewing her father’s body at the mortuary, excluded from writing or contributing to his eulogy, and denied the opportunity to lower his casket into the grave.

"I am not angry because people didn't 'show up for me.' I am angry because I was denied the opportunity to show up for my own father," Lyndah stated during her emotional address at the graveside.

Her testimony drew significant empathy online, leading thousands of netizens to criticize members of Bosco's first family for how they managed the funeral affairs.

In response to the viral online backlash, Julie Marita - the last-born daughter of Bosco Kebati’s first wife - came forward to present a different narrative of the events leading up to the burial.

Speaking exclusively to TUKO.co.ke, Julie stated that the internal rift within the family traces back over two decades to the early 2000s, when Bosco married his second wife. 

Julie claimed that following the second marriage, their father largely stopped providing financial support to his original household, creating years of strain and hardship for his first family.

Julie countered Lyndah’s account by addressing the months leading up to Bosco's passing

Julie stated that as Bosco’s health deteriorated over his final three years, his second wife returned him to the care of his first wife.

She asserted that the first family and supportive relatives carried the primary burden of his daily care, covering medical and basic living expenses such as food and adult diapers.

She also alleged that Lyndah and her mother were repeatedly notified of Bosco’s worsening condition and hospitalization, but did not visit or offer support, sometimes reacting with hostility when reached out to.

The first family also pointed to unresolved questions surrounding Bosco’s pension and retirement benefits from Kenya Power, suggesting that underlying financial tensions contributed to the rift between the two sides.

Regarding the burial day, Julie acknowledged that a confrontation occurred when Lyndah’s mother arrived at the family home prior to the ceremony. 

However, she maintained that nobody had forbidden the second family from visiting or caring for Bosco during his life, given their 20-year presence in his household.

Julie noted that her family's lack of a social media footprint initially allowed a single narrative to dominate online platforms, leading to public judgment before both sides were heard. She emphasised that the family has decided to leave the dispute to higher powers rather than engage in a prolonged public feud.

In a separate TikTok LIVE, a woman describing herself as a niece to Kebati further alleged that Akinyi abandoned the home for a period and returned while pregnant with a second daughter, asserting that the child was not biologically fathered by the late engineer.

More critically, the niece levelled serious medical allegations against Akinyi, claiming she contracted HIV during an extended absence and subsequently infected Kebati. 

The niece stated that Kebati unknowingly transmitted the virus to his first wife, who resided in the village. 

According to the niece, the first wife only discovered her HIV-positive status after falling ill and being taken to Kilgoris for medical testing by her sisters.

Addressing Kebati's final years, the niece detailed a pattern of severe health struggles, stating he was in and out of the ICU and suffered from long-term illness.

According to the account, after Kebati retired from Kenya Power, he relocated to Kisumu with Akinyi. The niece claimed that during visits to the Kisumu residence, Akinyi mistreated visitors from Kebati's extended family and turned them away.

The niece alleged that as Kebati’s medical condition deteriorated in Kisumu, Akinyi abruptly packed his belongings into paper bags, placed the ailing engineer into a vehicle bound for Kisii, and contacted the first wife to inform her that Kebati had been dropped off at a bus stage.

While Lyndah accused the first family of neglect and marginalization, members of the extended family - supported by the niece’s testimony - maintain that it was the first family who bore the burden of nursing Kebati through his extended illness until his death.

The contrasting accounts have highlighted the complex dynamics of polygamous family setups in modern Kenya, leaving a grieving family publicly divided over the legacy and final send-off of their patriarch.