A family in Masewani Village, Kangundo Sub-county, Machakos County, is still reeling from shock and trauma after chaotic scenes erupted during the burial of their 24-year-old son, Leonard Mutua Muema, also known as Mapetco.
Muema died in a tragic head-on collision involving two motorcycles at Kathithyamaa Bridge, between Tala and Kangundo, where both riders died instantly.
His burial, which took place on Saturday, was marred by unprecedented drama led by a large group of boda boda riders and youths.
The chaos began about 50 kilometers away when the body was collected from a funeral home in Machakos. The funeral procession, described as disorderly, blocked both sides of the road while snaking through Matungulu Sub-county, making a stop at the accident scene before proceeding to Masewani Village.
According to family secretary Mathew Munyaka, the burial turned disrespectful as some youths performed controversial rituals, played loud music, and offered beer and bhang to the deceased. “The government should not allow such acts during funerals. Families deserve respect,” Munyaka said.
Maiuni Sublocation Senior Assistant Chief, Consolata Ndunge David, confirmed that the funeral service initially proceeded as planned but chaos erupted at the gravesite. “Over 3,000 youths dominated the burial, insisting on performing their own final rites. They opened the casket, gave the deceased beer and bhang, and this has deeply hurt the family,” she said, vowing that such behavior would not be tolerated in Kangundo again.
Matungulu MP Stephen Mule also condemned the incident, describing the conduct as “neither African nor Christian” and morally unacceptable. “This behavior is not reflective of our community values and must never be repeated,” he stated.
The deceased’s father, Eric Muema, recounted the traumatic events, saying the boda boda riders defied funeral traditions from the start. “They refused to place the casket on a table or trolley. After the funeral service, they carried it on their shoulders to the burial site, where they chased away family members and performed rituals that lasted over an hour. We watched helplessly from a distance,” he said.
Muema added that the presiding minister was barred from approaching the gravesite, and items such as bhang, beer, and cigarettes were placed inside the casket. “In all my 50 years, I have never witnessed such a thing,” he said, calling on the government to intervene to prevent similar incidents.
Pastor Stephen Lai Kilisa, who accompanied the family from the mortuary, described the funeral as “chaotic and traumatizing.” He said the group occupied both sides of the road on their way to the village and staged bizarre rituals at the accident scene. “The moment the Master of Ceremony announced it was time to lay the body to rest, the youths forcefully took over,” Kilisa said.
Zenna Kambua, the deceased’s eldest sibling, said the family was denied the opportunity to give their brother a dignified send-off. “The scenes were chaotic and traumatizing. We were forced to retreat to the house and never saw how the burial was concluded,” she lamented.
