By Elvis Lagat
The family of a prominent surgeon from Embu is pleading for help in locating his remains after they were mysteriously removed from a local funeral home without their knowledge, throwing burial plans into disarray.
Dr. Naftary Munene, 41, a specialist surgeon formerly stationed at Kirinyaga Level Five Hospital, died on February 8 in a road accident in Subukia, Nakuru County. According to police reports, his car is believed to have veered off the road and struck a culvert at night. His wife, Jane Wangui, survived the crash.
However, weeks after the tragic accident, the family remains unable to lay their loved one to rest.
Speaking from Munyutu Village in Runyenjes Constituency, the family said they were shocked to discover that Dr. Munene’s body had been moved from Gakwegori Funeral Home in Embu to an unknown location, just a day before a scheduled second autopsy.
“We were informed that a woman, said to have arranged the initial booking, had taken the body,” said his mother, Esther Wanja. “We visited nearby funeral homes but couldn’t find him. We just want to bury our son.”
The family says the circumstances surrounding his death are troubling. Wanja explained that an initial post-mortem had been conducted without the family’s knowledge, and its findings—multiple fractured ribs—left them with unanswered questions.
“When we got to Nyahururu Town just hours after his passing to see the body, we were shocked to find the post-mortem had already been completed,” she said.
The body was later moved to Gakwegori Funeral Home as the family prepared to bury him at his ancestral home. But plans came to a halt when they discovered that the remains were no longer at the facility.
Gakwegori Funeral Home stated they released the body to the person who had officially booked it, denying any wrongdoing in the process.
Dr. Munene’s father, David Njeru, said he visited the accident site and examined the vehicle, describing the damage as relatively minor. “That’s why we are calling on investigators to assist in determining the real cause of his death,” he said.
The incident has not only caused emotional turmoil but has also drawn attention to the legal grey areas surrounding mortuary operations and burial rights in Kenya. While Section 137 of the Penal Code criminalizes obstruction of lawful burial and grants authority to next of kin, the country lacks a detailed national framework for resolving burial disputes.
Local elder Silas Njeru urged authorities to intervene and assist the grieving family. “Things are at a standstill. The funeral plans are halted, and the body of this well-respected doctor has vanished. The family is in distress,” he said.
As mourners who had gathered for prayers return home and questions linger, the family is now appealing to government agencies, law enforcement, and the public for help in locating Dr. Munene’s body so they can give him a dignified farewell.
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