State to help family trace body in Juba

The government will help a Murang’a family in tracing, exhuming and carrying out a postmortem on the body of their loved one who died in unclear circumstances in South Sudan.

However, the family of the late Joseph Kiagiri from Marumi Village in Kigumo has been told to cater for the transportation of the body for burial in Kenya, a burden it says is too heavy for its members.

According to Foreign Affairs ministry communication officer Edwin Limo, the body will be exhumed in Yei Town and flown to Juba for an autopsy before the family transports it back home.

Family members said Mr Kiagiri was found dead in his house at Yei Town on the South Sudan-Uganda border, where another 750 Kenyans are said to be living despite the ongoing fighting.

HE WAS COMING HOME

The businessman, who was dealing in electronics, was reported dead on January 3 — a few days to his return home following the war in South Sudan.

His family on Thursday said it had failed to raise the funds required to fly the body home.

“We have been informed that the cost would be more than Sh100, 000, which we cannot raise. We had previously raised about Sh70, 000 which we used in our unsuccessful attempt to get the body from Yei,” said Mr Simon Njuguna, a family member.

He pleaded with the government to help in bringing back the body for a decent burial in Murang’a. However, Mr Limo insisted that was not possible.

In their first attempt, some relatives had travelled to the border town but were informed by South Sudan officials that the body had been buried and they could not have it.