Drama unfolded at Karurina village in Embu West Sub-County on Monday morning after a woman stormed the grave of her alleged husband and uprooted the cross and wreath flowers, accusing his family of denying her and their three children the right to participate in his burial.
Mercy Wanja Nyaga reportedly destroyed the grave of 69-year-old Simon Ndwiga Njoka, a retired Kenya Forest Service officer, after discovering that he had been buried without her knowledge.
Wanja said she had been scheduled to attend the burial alongside her three children, whom she claims she had with the deceased outside wedlock.
Speaking to Kimuri Radio, she said both families had agreed on Sunday to participate in the burial and meet at 9am on Monday to collect the body from the mortuary.
However, she was shocked to learn that the burial had already taken place by 8am.
“We agreed to meet at 9am to go for the body. I was shocked to be told at the meeting point that they had already buried the man by 8am. They denied me and my three children our right to bury my husband,” she said.
Wanja further alleged that the deceased’s first wife and her family had refused to recognise her as part of the family, despite her claims that she had three children with Njoka.
Court order on burial ignored
The incident comes despite a court order issued by the Embu Magistrate’s Court directing that Wanja be allowed to participate in the burial.
Court documents seen by Kimuri Radio indicate that the matter was determined by consent on October 29, 2026, in case number MCCC/E205/2026, Mercy Wanja Nyaga versus Eric Macharia Wawira and Juliana Gaturi.
Presided over by Principal Magistrate R. G. Mundia, the court ordered that the deceased be buried at the family graveyard and that Wanja be allowed to participate in the burial.
The order, signed by Hon. Atieno Joan Otieno, also carried a penal notice warning of consequences for disobedience.
Despite the order, the deceased’s family proceeded with the burial early Monday morning, completing the ceremony by 8am.
Family cites financial constraints
The deceased’s family maintained that they had been forced to conduct the burial early due to financial difficulties.
According to the family, they had exhausted their savings settling hospital and mortuary bills and could not afford additional expenses associated with the burial.
The deceased’s nephew said they lacked money to prepare eulogies, hire vehicles for transport or provide meals for mourners, prompting them to bury Njoka early in the morning to avoid incurring further costs.
He also claimed that Wanja’s family had not contributed towards the expenses.
Meanwhile, the deceased’s mother, Josephina Weruma, said she had no knowledge of her son having another family before his death.
“I never heard him talk of a child outside. We learned about the children and the second wife after his death,” she said.
The incident has exposed a bitter family dispute over the deceased’s alleged second family and the circumstances surrounding his burial, despite a court order requiring Wanja to be included in the ceremony.
