A group of rowdy youth stormed a burial service that was in progress and carried the caskets of the deceased to the police station protesting their gruesome murder.
The burial of Joseph Ndungu and Kennedy Gitau was in progress at their home in Kiamanyeki village, Mwea East, Kirinyaga County on Saturday, February 11, before the angry youth stormed in.
They disrupted the proceedings and took the two caskets to Wang'uru Police Station where they demanded justice for the deceased.
"They insited that the two will not be buried and instructed the clergy in charge to stop the service as the bodies were to be taken back to the mortuary. They even returned soil back to the open grave sites," Tembere Member of County Assembly(MCA) Peter Karinga stated.
The burial ceremony later turned chaotic as police officers stepped in to disperse the protesting mourners with teargas.
The youth then abandoned the caskets at the police station gate in line with their vow to ensure that the burial plans could not carry on as planned.
Kirinyaga Senator James Murango, on the other hand, expressed disappointment that no security officer was present at the burial.
"It has become a usual occurrence that every time our people cross to the other side of Embu County, they get killed or are left hospitalized. Residents have decided that justice must be served.
"It is so bad that no officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation(DCI) attended the burial to inform us why this has been happening and the action they are taking," the lawmaker noted.
The burial was then postponed until the matter was resolved.
The two brothers were killed at Mbeere after being accused of stealing livestock and were both burnt to death.
Witnesses, however, maintained that the duo had attended a relative's housewarming party in Mbeere until 10 pm when they were ambushed by unknown people with arrows and bows.
“They received a call from their cousins heading home after attending a party held by the family. The cousins called the two brothers informing them that a group of people, armed with crude weapons, had attacked them.
“It was then that the two brothers left their houses in a huff to rush to their cousins and see if they could help them,” one of their cousins Martin Mwaura recalled the ordeal.
According to the family, one of the brothers was due to travel to Qatar for a work-related assignment.
