Not Sure She Will Go to Heaven - Priest at Burial of Woman in Viral Obituary

An obituary announcing the death of Elizabeth Mueni Ngotho who passed away on April 12, 2022.
An obituary announcing the death of Elizabeth Mueni Ngotho who passed away on April 12, 2022.
File
COURTESY

The burial of Elizabeth Mueni Ngotho, a woman who went viral over her controversial obituary, was marred with moments of contention as her family laid her to rest on Saturday, April 23. 

In the mysterious obituary published in a newspaper, the family members did not mince their words indicating that Mueni and her brother were mischievous.  

"Mueni has now been reunited with her beloved father Anthony and her partner in crime Peter, and they can get up to their typical mischief where they left off," part of the obituary read. 

The priest who led the sermon did not spare her either, wondering whether she would go to the Biblical heaven. 

Priest delivering a sermon during the burial ceremony on Elizabeth Mueni on Saturday April 23, 2022
Priest delivering a sermon during the burial ceremony on Elizabeth Mueni on Saturday, April 23, 2022
Steve Thiani

"We are not sure if the departed will go to heaven but let us pray for her soul. Mercy be upon Elizabeth and may angels welcome her," the priest, of foreign descent, prayed. 

The burial ceremony was held in a remote village in Machakos county. With the roads being inaccessible, mourners trekked for miles to attend the funeral. The venue was also filled to capacity.

Mourners first ate before listening to the sermon. This was a different approach from most funerals where the food is shared after the burial ceremony. 

Only one person was allowed to speak on behalf of the family with the others refraining from speaking as is the norm. 

The family spokesperson did not even at one point mention Mueni's name but only thanked the mourners before announcing that she will be buried privately. 

On being ushered to the podium, the priest first delivered the sermon in English and then shocked the attendees when he delved deeper into the Kamba dialect, proving his mastering of the local language.

The priest even got rid of an interpreter who explained the sermon in the Kamba dialect.

He further beseeched the other family members to forsake their evil ways. "Everyone shall be judged by their own actions. If you lived a bad life, wait for judgment day," the priest stated, with no fear nor favour. 

Before administering the Holy Communion, he, however, said that the deceased can be validated for engaging in a number of volunteering activities which touched the lives of many area residents. 

File photo of Elizabeth Mueni Ngotho covered in a viral obituary
File photo of Elizabeth Mueni Ngotho covered in a viral obituary
File

As they sang ashes to ashes and dust shall return to dust, the preacher stood beside her resting place which was conspicuously visible.

Beside her grave, two rectangular types of cement slabs indicating the graves of her father Anthony and brother Peter could be spotted. 

After the emotional sermon, the priest ushered in the choir as he sprinkled the holy water on Mueni's casket and read a few verses. 

Nonetheless, the reasoning behind the viral obituary was not disclosed to the mourners who had thronged the ceremony to find out why the family disregarded her. 

Until her death, Mueni was a thriving business lady in the real estate sector. She was, nonetheless, unmarried and never sired a child.

She attended Hillcrest Secondary School before joining the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. Mueni also enrolled for a degree in Hotel Management at a top school in Switzerland. 

  • .