Rituals performed to exhume body after family 'buried' kin in Kisii, then he resurfaced in Nairobi
The body of a man who was wrongfully buried in
Nyamache area of Kisii County has been exhumed and rituals performed in the
homestead to allow a family member who the deceased was mistaken for, to return
home.
The family of Meshack Ondabu, who was
arrested in Nairobi’s South B area for flaunting traffic rules, buried a man
after missing their kin who was at Industrial Area Prison for 40 days.
After his release, Ondabu was barred from
visiting his rural home to see his supposed grave until all the Abagusii
rituals were performed.
The area Chief and police officers supervised
the exhumation of the unknown body that has been in the grave for the last two
months.
Ondabu’s uncle Nyakwara Riruma said: “Ni shughuli ambayo ilianza mwendo wa saa tisa
asubuhi, hii kazi imefanyika sana, tunashukuru vijana kufukua mwili.”
Traditional
rituals were performed by Abagusii elders to cleanse the homestead before the
return of their son.
According to the community’s tradition, Ondabu
must never step in the homestead before the body is removed and the grave
sealed.
A sheep was slaughtered to enable the family
member return to his home; it’s intestines were buried in the empty grave, after
which the police took the body using a body bag and the coffin was burnt.
According to the elders, Ondabu is now ready
to go back home, but he will have to start life afresh; slaughtering will be
done to celebrate his return.
“Yule kijana
tulimdhania amekufa sasa atakuja ndio tumfanyie sherehe kubwa, tuko na mpangilio
sasa ya kujenga nyumba ingine...vile tuliwaambia awali, hawezi ingia kwa hii
nyumba na vyombo yote ilikuwa ndani imechomwa,” added Riruma.
The body that had been buried has since been
brought back to Nairobi's City Mortuary.
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