Man’s burial inside his house baffles Kirinyaga residents
Mourners at the burial of Simon Muriithi Mwaniki in Mucagara Village, Kirinyaga County on November 25, 2020.
Residents of Mucagara Village in Kirinyaga County were on Wednesday evening treated to a rare funeral after a man was buried inside his house.
They watched in astonishment as the coffin containing the remains of the 65-year-old retired coffee factory manager, Simon Muriithi Mwaniki, was lowered into the grave that had been dug in the living room.
Some whispered to each other during the dramatic send-off which left many in awe.
According to the man’s relative, prior to his death, he had expressed his wish to be buried in the house.
Emotions ran high as the funeral ceremony went on in the village in Gichugu Constituency.
“We had to act according to his wishes to avoid a curse and being haunted by his spirits," said Mr James Njuki, the man’s eldest son.
Mwaniki was hurriedly buried in a brief ceremony conducted by an African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa priest, Jackson Muchiri.
Committed suicide
When Mwaniki committed suicide, no one mourned his death as he had asked family members not to do so when he was alive.
"Before he took his life he had told us that there should be no mourning when he dies. Therefore, we ensured that we never gathered at any time within the homestead to mourn him," added Mr Njuki.
Mr Njuki recalled how on November 18 they found their father dangling from the roof of his house with a rope around his neck.
It was then that the matter was reported to the local police officers who drove to the scene and took the body to Kibugi Funeral Home.
His children suspected that their father took his life due to the depression he suffered after his wife, Juliana Muthoni, died.
"My father started drinking heavily after his wife died. He loved my mother so much and we think he was so much affected by her death and became depressed," said Mr Njuki.
Rev Muchiri described the funeral as unique.
"For the 38 years that I have been conducting funerals, this is the first time to bury someone inside a house," he said.
The residents said they were taken aback when they arrived at the homestead and saw the grave inside Mwaniki’s house.
“We were baffled. We have never witnessed such a funeral in this village. This is a funeral of its own kind which shocked all of us," Mr Eliud Muriithi said.
