Police in Nyamira on Monday exhumed the body of a man whose family says was hurriedly and secretly buried by his second wife two days after he died in unclear circumstances.
Ezekiel Omao died 6th January and his body was hurriedly buried two days later in Irianyi village, Kemera ward of Kitutu Masaba Constituency.
A court sitting in Nyamira granted orders of exhumation after part of the disgruntled first family indicated that their father was hurriedly buried without their knowledge.
Edna Kwamboka, the first born child of the deceased, said her father, a former district accountant, died on a Thursday last week under unclear circumstances.
He was then hurriedly buried by the second wife at night, two days later.
Kwamboka said they earlier sought court orders barring the interment of her late father’s remains but suspects the local administration and the police were compromised and allowed the burial of her dad to happen at night.
In her prayers, Kwamboka and her siblings want to know the circumstances surrounding the death of their father.
They also want to know whether he was treated in any hospital, among other issues.
“As his first family, we need to know whether our father was even taken to hospital, and if yes, which hospital, whether his body was preserved in a morgue after his death, and why he was buried at night like a criminal yet he has a family,” she said.
“We also want recognition and entitlement to his property.”
Kwamboka moved to Nyamira court on Monday 10th last week and successfully obtained orders to exhume the body pending the inter party hearing set to be held on 24, January.
“It is hereby ordered that the body of the deceased Ezekiel Mobisa Omao be immediately exhumed and preserved at the Nyamira Referral Hospital Mortuary.
The OCS Manga Sengera Police Station is hereby directed to oversee the exhumation process of the deceased Ezekiel Mobisa Omao,” reads a section of the court order that was given on January 10.
The order further stated; “The plaintiffs to cater for the cost of exhumation and other costs, the relevant department under the ministry of health to be involved in the exhumation exercise.
The he defendants to appear in court on 24th January to show cause why this court should not hold them in contempt”.
The deceased had remarried after the death of his first wife died a few years back,.
This, according to Kwamboka, is the source of the troubles that they are facing as the family.
“Since we lost our mother, our father married the second wife who made everything terrible for us, we rarely even talked to dad because we could not access him as she seemed to bar him from engaging with us.
I can recall even when I was getting married late last year, my father did not attend my wedding and he told me he had tried to attend the wedding but it was not possible,” she said
The body was moved to Nyamira county hospital for preservation until the case is heard and determined.
