Burial rituals in West Pokot, where morgues, coffins are scarce and residents fear corpses
For those living in remote inland areas in West Pokot County, transporting bodies to and from the mortuary is difficult and costly.
Pastoralist communities in West Pokot County face many challenges, not the least of which is the burden of dealing with the bodies of their loved ones after death.
For decades, residents have endured the challenge of a lack of morgues for the safekeeping of dead bodies, and this is a major burden for bereaved families in pastoralist areas.
The county has only one public morgue - at the Kapenguria County Referral Hospital - and no private morgue. Many travel long distances to the mortuary to preserve the bodies of their loved ones.
But for those living in remote inland areas, transporting bodies to and from the mortuary is difficult and costly.
At the same time, many in the Pokot community still don't believe in keeping the bodies of their loved ones in mortuaries because of the stigma associated with the dead and ancestral spirits.
As a result, many people bury their loved ones immediately after they die, both because of their beliefs and to avoid the costs associated with keeping the body in a mortuary.
Another challenge is the lack of coffins, as it is taboo to make and sell coffins in the county. As a result, many people choose to travel to Kitale in Trans-Nzoia County to buy coffins.
Some families bury their loved ones without coffins. Some even dump corpses in the bush, especially those killed by bandits. Traditionally, warriors killed in cattle raids or other battles were left to rot in the bushes where they fell.
However, the trend is slowly changing as the current generation chooses to bury their loved ones.
As a result, residents are now calling on the county and national governments to establish morgues and hospitals in remote areas to ease the burden.
Clement Lokwolo from Arpollo area in Pokot Central Sub-County confirms that most people who die are buried without being taken to mortuaries.
“We just dig graves and one is buried. Pokots believe that it is not good for someone dead to stay for long because of fear. One can use Sh80,000 to transport a body,” he said. This does not include the cost of transport for friends and relatives to accompany the body to the mortuary.
He says some who die in the bush are left to rot.
"Bones can be collected and taken home and hidden. If they are found, they can be taken and buried in their home," he said.
Mechero Trioyon, a resident of Cheptulel, says that in the past, if a person died while being taken to hospital, the body would be thrown away.
“The body was left to rot and for animals to feast on. At the moment it depends on where a person has died,” he explained to Nation.Africa.
“If it is a remote place, the body is buried in the kraal, but if it is in the urban area, the body is taken to the mortuary. If someone is killed by bandits and the government doesn't collect the body, relatives pick it up and bury it,” she said.
She urged the government to set up mortuaries in remote areas.
“It is a burden for us to transport the body. We recently sold cows to raise funds to go and collect a body from Kitale town, 200 kilometres away. We contributed money because the family was poor. We also decided to bury a neighbour who was killed,” she said, noting that there are no coffins in Kapenguria.
“We go to Kitale and the cheapest casket sells at Sh30,000 plus clothing for the deceased. We need mortuaries here,” she said.
Mr William Long’iroi popularly known as Tizon Wawe, said people have been selling land to bury their relatives. He said that public mortuaries charge Sh300 a day while private ones charge Sh3,000.
“Some burials cost up to Sh2 million. Poor people who die are not taken to mortuaries. The body is wrapped in a skin or blanket and sand is put on top. We use charcoal for preservation. The idea of mortuaries started 30 years ago in West Pokot,” he said.
He noted that the Pokot people fear the dead and to avoid the spirits, they throw bodies and migrate from the area.
“People migrate from the area but when the person is old, he or she is buried in the cattle shed. We believe that the dead person will help us where they go so that the spirits don’t come to haunt the family. We don’t want to be near them, so we throw their bodies and move [away],” he explained.
“Children are not allowed to see the dead. They cannot go closer to the home where someone has died. Pregnant women are not allowed to view a dead person,” he added.
The most senior member of society would be given a send-off befitting his status, but not always, he explained.
“When a Pokot warrior dies in war, no tears are shed. A burial site will not be prepared. No grave will be dug and there is no burial. Those who died in war are left in the bush where vultures feast on their bodies,” he said.
