It is unusual for a corpse to be seated in a special casket instead of being laid inside a casket. The late tycoon Hasmukh Patel, owner of Mombasa Cement, was made to sit as mourners paid him last respect.
The late was then taken around in five temples in Mombasa as the city's residents thronged the streets to pay their last respects to the benevolent billionaire. It is believed that he played a significant role in the construction of the temples, the reason his body was taken around.
According to the family, the gesture of having the deceased seated symbolises his eternal presence with them. They believe his presence will linger around them.
“Mzee will not be lying, he will be seated. A sign that he is not gone completely but still with us somehow. He will be watching,” a family member explained.
Before cremation, his body will be taken to his charity offices opposite the Royal Court Hotel from where he helped needy residents.
The procession, which is set to be streamlined, started at Pandya then transported through Moi Avenue and made the first stop at the first temple which he funded.
Prayers will be said before proceeding to the next temple. “There will be a five-minute stop for prayers before proceeding to the next temple,” a family member stated.
Later, the procession stopped at a temple opposite Royal Court Hotel where thousands of needy residents used to seek help.
“There will be a longer stop here because it is also where he used to sit in the evenings after work to witness how his charity services were being conducted,” a family member added.
Popularly known as the 'people's billionaire' for his generosity to the needy, Patel helped many with school fees, hospital bills and foodstuffs.
The other temples where the body will be taken are in Nyali, making the last stop at New Cutchi Leva Patel Samaj Hall along Links Road where the service will be conducted. It is at the same venue where his son held a wedding ceremony.
Family members are the only ones who were allowed to witness the removal of the body to the crematorium where a Hindu priest and senior family members will conduct the cremation ceremony, known as the ‘mukhagni.’
Word from inside sources has it that President William Ruto will attend the funeral before flying out to China in the evening.
Other top-flight leaders are set to attend the funeral including Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, Jomvu MP Badi Twalib, Kisauni MP Rashid Bedzimba, and Mvita MP Masoud Machele.
MP Badi Twalib called for the erection of a statue or naming of a road or street in Hasmukh Patel’s name to honour him and his legacy.
