A Nyamira family is facing compounded heartbreak after one of the daughters of the late Yuniah Bochaberi passed away, raising the painful prospect that the daughter will be laid to rest before her own mother, whose body has remained in a mortuary for six years.
Bochaberi, who was born in 1946, died on September 2, 2020. However, an alleged family dispute has prevented her burial, and she has never been given a final resting place.
A Mother Still Waiting to Be Laid to Rest
The situation has drawn widespread sympathy and anger in equal measure within Nyamira and the broader Gusii community.
Many people cannot reconcile the fact that a woman who gave birth, raised children and sacrificed for her family is being denied the dignity of burial because of unresolved disagreements among those she left behind.
Community member Sammy Ondimu gave voice to the frustration many feel, calling on the family to reflect on what their prolonged dispute is costing them in human terms.
“My Gusii people, honestly, we need to talk. Whatever the disagreement may be, land, property, succession or any other family issue — can we really allow our mothers to remain in mortuaries for years? This is not about taking sides. It is about humanity. It is about giving our departed parents the dignity they deserve. Whatever the issues are, let the family sit down, seek mediation where necessary, forgive one another where possible, and let Mama rest,” Ondimu said.
Ondimu went further, appealing to the conscience of all who knew Bochaberi and urging the family to find a way forward regardless of whatever grievances divide them.
“Our mothers carried us in their wombs. They gave birth to us, raised us and sacrificed for us. Whatever disagreements come later in life, surely we can find a way to honour them in death. Let Mama rest, bwana. Six years is too long,” he added.
The death of Bochaberi’s daughter has sharpened that appeal considerably. Many in the community are now asking whether the family can truly proceed with burying a child while the child’s mother remains in cold storage, a question that has no comfortable answer.
Those who have followed the story are extending their condolences to all those mourning the daughter who has died, while simultaneously urging the family to treat this moment as a turning point. Six years is a long time for grief to remain unresolved, and for a mother’s remains to be left without a grave.
