Residents of Karia village, Kirinyaga Central constituency witnessed a strange funeral as a millionaire from the area was buried in a 20-minute ceremony.
Peter Njagi Gichini, a prominent high school principal, died in 2015 aged 67 but was not interred as his widows fought in courts over his vast estate.
Finally, the Court of Appeal forced the family to agree to bury Njagi in a ceremony at his farm after his body lay at Embu Level five mortuary for five years.
According to his nephew Moses Munene, Njagi had three wives who were also recognized by the entire extended family.
It is however alleged the second wife, a retired teacher, had a disagreement with the other two wives over property that led to her filing an injunction in court.
During the interment, she also denied mourners access to the compound where the deceased was to be buried forcing them to conduct a quick ceremony under a tree.
A brief ceremony was conducted by ACK clergy but there were no seats or food for mourners. It took less than 20 minutes and no speaker was allowed to address mourners
The clergymen did not give a sermon as is customary. He only prayed for the body and directed it to be lowered into the grave as tension rose among mourners.
During the ceremony, Reverend Canon Johnson Maricho alongside Rev. James Njue of Ciagini Anglican Church however urged families to end disputes and live in harmony.
Peter said Njagi married his first wife in a church wedding but later married two other wives in Kikuyu traditional ceremonies and he regarded them as part of the family.
Relatives from the larger family were angered by her actions lamenting how unfair it was to give a former principal such a send-off.
Village elder Joseph Muriuki revealed that Njagi was a respected man "only to be buried like a witch". He advised men to write wills to prevent property disputes.
Njagi left behind 11 children and more than 30 grandchildren.
Watch the video Below Courtesy of Inooro TV:
Disclaimer: The Video is in Kikuyu dialect.
