Woman's painful humiliation at husband's burial

When Mellen Mogaka was invited to attend the burial of her estranged husband in Nyabisimba village, Nyamira County, she had no idea what lay in store for her.

All that raced through her mind were the fond memories of her late husband, Joseph Osoro, and the painful moments that ultimately led to the breakdown of their marriage.

It had been almost a year since she walked away from the union following irreconcilable differences. Now living in Narok, Mogaka had received news from old friends in Nyabisimba that Osoro had died in a road accident.

Given how bitterly their marriage had ended, Mogaka, still in the process of healing, had not expected to attend the burial. However, when she received a call from her mother-in-law, her heart pounded.

For a moment, she was torn between answering or ignoring the call, but an inner voice urged her to pick up. Her mother-in-law’s message was curt and firm — Mogaka was to take her children to pay their last respects to their father.

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Not wanting to bear the guilt of denying her children the opportunity to bid farewell to their father, Mogaka reluctantly agreed.

When she set off for Nyabisimba village in the company of her parents, Nehemiah Matundura and Jelia Kerubo, along with her children, she had no idea she was walking into an ordeal that would strip her of dignity — all in the name of fulfilling certain cultural rites that have now thrust the Nyamira village into the spotlight.

Beyond being locked in a room with Osoro’s body, Mogaka was molested and beaten at the graveside by a group of men for refusing to throw soil into Osoro’s final resting place —an act meant to prove that she had no hand in his death.

“One woman poured soil all over me, including inside my inner clothes, hair, and ears. A man struck me in the stomach, and my entire body is swollen. I want the government to help me because I have no one else to turn to,” she pleaded.

As this was happening, someone — whether innocently or deliberately — recorded the incident. The video soon went viral, sparking widespread public outrage. Feminist groups and the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) demanded the immediate arrest of those involved.

However, an elder, Obino Nyambane, saw nothing wrong with the attack, insisting that it was a form of punishment for failing to observe burial rituals.

“We cannot call this a human rights issue; it is about culture and the traditions of a people who should respect their customs” he stated.

Following sustained pressure, detectives arrested suspects linked to the incident, which exposed the deep-rooted cultural practices that blur the line between tradition and harmful rituals.

Jones Manyasa Mokua, 46, was apprehended in Nyamira Township sub-location, while his three accomplices — Martin Obino, 41, Zachariah Nyariki, 39, and Robert Makori, 26 —were tracked down and arrested in their hideout in Kenyenya area of Bogichora.

They were linked to the events March 21 when Mogaka returned to Osoro’s burial, which had remained peaceful until chaos erupted as the body was lowered into the grave.

A group of men approached her, demanding that she take a handful of soil and throw it in the grave. When she refused, they attacked her.

Mogaka was beaten, had some of her clothes torn, and even had her shoes thrown into the grave — all because she declined to take part in a cultural practice.

She was accused of being responsible for her husband’s death.

Manyasa, Obino, Nyariki, and Makori were seized on Saturday as detectives widened their search.

Others arrested were Robert Pokea Sarudi, 43, Bismark Ondiek Sarudi, 40, and Lameck Ogindo Osoro, 27. They were detained at Kiambere Police Station as authorities continued to pursue more suspects.

Mogaka later revealed that, before the burial, elders had locked her in a room with Osoro’s body, an ordeal that left her traumatised.

NGEC condemned the attack and demanded swift prosecution of those responsible.

The commission’s chairperson, Rehema Jaldesa, described the assault as a blatant violation of human rights and gender equality, arguing that the incident exposed deep-seated gender-based violence disguised as culture.

“This egregious violation of human rights constitutes gender-based violence, assault, and coercion — criminal acts punishable under Kenyan law,” Jaldesa said in a statement.

The commission urged police to investigate the case urgently and ensure justice is served.

Jaldesa decried the persistence of harmful cultural practices that subject women to violence, stating that such traditions violate Article 27 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality and freedom from discrimination.