KENYA: Drama ensued at the Kitengela Sub County Hospital mortuary in Kajiado County on Friday September 8 when a man fought with his in-laws over his wife’s body over unpaid bride price.

The bone of contention was the body of Ms Agatha Khasandi Kulabi, 47, who died at Kajiado Referral Hospital on August 20, 2023 after a brief illness before her body was transferred to Kitengela Sub County Hospital on August 27 for preservation.

On Friday morning, Agatha’s family, including her mother and children, arrived at the morgue with a coffin on a hearse to take the body to Kakamega County for burial scheduled for Saturday.

But they got a rude shock after Mr Nicholas Muranda, who lived with Agatha in Mlolongo Town, tried to block the release of the body through a letter from his lawyer.

In the letter seen by this website, Mr Muranda, through his lawyer, said there was a dispute between him and his in-laws over Agatha, claiming she was his wife, and had asked the mortuary to continue holding the body until the issue was resolved.

He was nowhere to be seen and his mobile phone went unanswered.

Dejected mourners sobbed in public and spent hours at the entrance to the morgue.

The morgue keepers kept the facility under lock and key as panic gripped the atmosphere.

Agatha’s mother, Pamela Mbone, 70, who had travelled from Kakamega to bring the body of her second born daughter for burial today, said the “husband” had not paid the bride price to be allowed to bury the Agatha.

“My daughter was involved with three men at different times, none of them had paid the bride price even though she bore children for them and the family decided to bury our daughter at her father’s house in Kakamega,” she said in sobs.

She further said the ‘husband’ had been throwing her around for the past three days, culminating in a scuffle that ended at Kitengela police station where assault charges were laid against Agatha’s sons.

The husband was allegedly beaten up by the in-laws at the Agatha’s rented house in Mlolongo on Thursday night.

“He had promised to travel to our village to pay the bride price but changed his mind and refused to buy the coffin or dress the body,” she said.

Mr Godfrey Okwiri, the Agatha’s son, told the Nation that the dispute had denied their mother a decent burial after the first burial date was postponed following a disagreement.

“My stepfather is frustrating us to bury our mother, we have obtained all the documents for the burial and all the arrangements have been made,” he said in tears.

The family has vowed not to let their mother’s lover bear the day, saying they will endure until they bury her at her father’s home in Kakamega.

Agatha lived in Mlolongo and worked as a domestic helper before she fell ill, she lived with her ‘husband’ and they had consummated their marriage with a single child, she had three other children from previous marriages.

Neighbours said the man was an on-and-off husband who lived in Lamu.

The hospital management advised the family to seek legal assistance before releasing the body.