Kenyan community shocked as presumed dead man returns home to see burial

Tomb of Abdalla Mwenda Suleiman

The family of Abdalla Mwenda Suleiman, who was presumed dead, were left in shock after he returned home and found a body believed to be his already buried. The incident, which occurred last Tuesday in the Loire village, near the Mutuati market, in the country of Meru, left many in disbelief.

Mwenda, a 20-year-old miraa catcher, was mistakenly buried on October 4 after his family misidentified a body found in a house he once shared with his ex-wife in Mutuati market, as reported by Nation.

“As my job is to harvest miraa, I move from one place to another and am rarely at home. I am shocked to find out that my family buried me,” Mwenda said in dismay.

Mwenda, who separated from his wife and moved to Nthanbiro, 20 kilometers away, returned to find that his family had buried him by mistake. Shocked, Mwenda explained his transient lifestyle as a miraa catcher keeps him away from home.

Interestingly, a colleague mentioned that they passed by his house during the funeral. The grave, located on the Mutuati-Antubetwe Kiongo road, is visible from the asphalt.

“We left Nthambiro in Igembe Central on Friday and traveled to another farm in Mutuati. We passed Mwenda’s house and he wondered why there were so many people in his house, but we continued.”

“On Sunday, as we were rocking Miraa, someone broke the news that Mwenda had been buried but was still alive. Mwenda was so shocked that he was unable to work. He went to sleep”, said the colleague.

After recovering from the shock, Mwenda went home to check out the bizarre news of his burial.

When the Nation visited on Tuesday, it found an atmosphere of sadness and despair. The fresh grave, with a blooming arrowroot plant, attracted residents who hoped the police had come to exhume the body.

Mwenda’s father Meeme M’Nchebere, a resident of Voi, was found sleeping after spending the night guarding the grave.

“We have been given strict instructions to ensure the body is not stolen. Police said the matter is sensitive as the deceased was murdered. I have to keep vigil all night,” he said.

M’Nchebere revealed that her son had to flee the village because he could not bear to see a grave with his name on it. He admitted that they mistakenly buried the wrong body because he was unable to see it before the burial.

“I live in Voi, where I moved more than 10 years ago. Mwenda was left behind in Meru. Recently, I received a call from neighbors who told me that my son was dead. As a Muslim, I am not allowed to see a dead body. Then we proceeded with the burial”, he said.

Mwenda’s father said the police told him they needed to raise KSh70,000 ($542) to cover the costs of obtaining a court order, a pathologist and exhuming the wrongly buried body.

“I’m a small VOi trader and I can’t raise the money the police want to exhume the body. I am currently surviving on good wishes in the village. Neighbors are hesitant to help with fundraising because they contributed to the botched burial,” he said.

M’Nchebere now finds himself in a difficult situation, unable to return to his family in Voi or to speed up the exhumation of the wrongly buried body. He faces the challenge of navigating both family tensions and legal obstacles.