A family in Kilifi County was forced to exhume the body of their 63-year-old patriarch after they went against his dying wishes upon his death.
Kenga Kalama had left a very specific, if odd, set of requests that his family was to fulfill upon his death
Among the dying wishes of the deceased included being buried with a packet of cigarettes and his favourite tropical sweets which he would take after smoking.
Kalama also wanted to be buried with the metallic rod he used to carry around and additionally asked not to be buried in a coffin.
Ganze in Kilifi County was turned into a symphony of sounds and colors as the family of Kenga came together to exhume the body and rebury it.
One of his family members, Eunice Kalama explained why Kenga had asked not to be buried in a coffin.
Kalama, quoting Kenga, expressed his reservations, 'I don't want to be in a box. I like walking out and I can't. I want to go somewhere but I can't because of that coffin.'
The family did not honour the dying wishes as the neighbors considered it an outdated culture, sentiments that pushed the family to disregard them.
It was only after going through countless sleepless nights that the family finally gave in to the dictates of tradition to exhume the body and rebury it.
Kenas Kenga, son to the deceased explained that he had escaped death by a whisker, an experience he attributes to the family’s failure to honour the father’s wishes.
The family had to perform a number of traditional rituals before exhuming and reburying the body. Tabu, the eldest son, had to hold Kenga's ear and ask for forgiveness on behalf of the family.
