At a funeral ceremony in Muthuari village in Kenya’s Runyenjes constituency, Embu county, a dramatic incident was captured as several gravediggers refused to eat the food prepared for them, took the casket, and transported it to a bar where the dead is alleged to have consumed alcohol before dying.
The teenagers who refused the food stated that Dennis Mwaniki Mugambi, the dead, had told them not to eat at his funeral.
The enraged youngsters reportedly strewn the food, took the casket, and carried it to Umoja Bar, where the deceased is claimed to have consumed alcohol prior to his death.
According to K24TV, the clerics invited to conduct the burial ritual were left stunned and without a body to bury for several hours.
Outside the pub, the rowdy youths who were hoisting posters and tree branches accused the proprietor of witchcraft. The pub owner is claimed to have fled for safety when the teenagers demanded that he be arrested in connection with the claims.
Mwaniki is alleged to have been on a drinking binge with his companions before becoming ill and eventually succumbing to his illness. He was sent to Runyenjes Level 4 hospital, where he died during treatment.
Following the melee, the youths returned the coffin, and hours later, the funeral took place. Area Assistant Chief Cosmas Karugano, speaking at the funeral, ordered the closure of the bar and advised the youths to remain calm, pledging to ensure the situation is thoroughly examined.
Karugano said;
“Let’s avoid drinking alcohol carelessly. The OCS has ordered us to close the bar from now and we have done that. We will now continue with investigations and I want the locals here to report to me if the bar is opened again.”
