Mwingi man forced to bury wife, child 5 years after they died

Mr Kitu Munyoki, the man who lived with the corpses of his wife and child in his house for three years in Mwingi, Kitui County. PHOTO | BONIFACE MWANIKI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Munyoki was arrested after the public informed police of the disappearance of his wife which was revealed by his mother-in-law who visited his home only to find her missing.

  • Munyoki was convicted for living with the bodies and served a six-month jail sentence.

  • He buried his kin on Monday, August 13, 2018 five years after they died.

The man from Mwingi who was convicted for living with corpses of his wife and children for three years hoping they would resurrect has finally buried them.

Before his arrest on October 1, 2016, Kitu Munyoki had been living with the corpse of his wife, Lydia, who died in 2014 and that of his daughter who had died a year earlier.

Munyoki was arrested after the public informed police of the disappearance of his wife which was revealed by his mother-in-law who visited his home only to find her missing.

The man was later found guilty of living with the bodies contrary to the law and has since served a six-month jail term.

Finally, after five years Munyoki was forced to bury them on Monday at Ndaluni village in Mwingi West-Sub County where local residents trooped in large numbers to witness the funeral.

The funeral was held following an intervention by Munyoki’s clan, Ausini, who applied for the burial permits from the local assistant chief Jacob Mbiti.

“It was a great shock to everyone when it was discovered that Munyoki had been living with the bodies and he never bothered to inform the authorities about their death or the cause of their deaths,” said Mr Mbiti.

In an interview with the Nation, Munyoki his wife died of tuberculosis while his daughter died of starvation since her mother could not breastfeed her after contracting the disease.

Munyoki said that his wife had asked him to preserve her body if she died, telling him she would resurrect after seven years.

“My beloved wife had told me before her death that she would come back to life after seven years and that's why I chose to live with her body for those years waiting for her to come back,” Munyoki said.