A Kenyan family in
Masaba South Sub-County, Kisii County, were shocked after their son Vincent
Oyugi showed up on Tuesday, a month after they had buried a body presumed to be
his, Daily Nation reports.
Mr Oyugi, who lives in
a rented house in the outskirts of Narok Town, was believed to have died in an
accident in Ewaso Nyiro, Narok County, last August.
A pick-up delivering
vegetables to a local market veered off the road and rolled several times,
killing three fellow workers, with whom he had been harvesting cabbages in a
nearby farm, on the spot.
But it was after
nearly two months that family members, among them his father Mr Oyugi, got wind
that their son might have died in the accident after he delayed to return home.
“He had also been
informed by someone who was at the scene that his son Vincent was among those
who had boarded the pick-up and might have died in the accident alongside the
three others,” his mother Eunice
Oyugi told the Nation at Riamakanda, a 10-minute drive from Keroka Town, on Wednesday.
According to Daily
Nation, the devastating news sparked off funeral arrangements, which culminated
in the collection and burial of a body thought to be Mr Oyugi’s on December 4.
Ms Oyugi said the
autopsy and identification of the body was done at the Narok County Hospital
before they were granted permission to take it for burial.
However, she added, no
DNA tests were done to ascertain if the body belonged to their kin.
“The body was in bad
shape and we were convinced that it belonged to my son, so we proceeded to make
burial arrangements, upon which we buried him on 4th December last year,” Ms Oyugi recalled.
Late Tuesday, the man
who had been presumed dead walked into the compound, to the consternation of
family and neighbours.
“I was at the farm
planting maize when I received a call from my husband that our son was
alive,” said Ms Oyugi as she
wiped a tear of joy from her eyes. “I was at a loss whether to cry or
laugh because I could not figure that the person we had buried was not my son.”
At first she could not
come to terms with the news as she was still recovering from the shock.
“I had to go through
the birthmarks to ascertain if, truly, he was my son,” said the mother of six.
Mr Oyugi however said
he had all the while been at his residence in Narok and was not aware that his
family was looking for him.
“It is true I was in
the vehicle but I jumped out shortly before it rolled,” said Mr Oyugi. “I got a scratch but
walked away shocked and did not come back to the scene.
“Perhaps this led to
the conclusion that I had died.”
On January 1, Mr Oyugi
went to check on his brother Dismas, who also lives in Narok. Fearing that he
had seen a ghost, his brother ran for cover leaving him in awe.
“I am happy to be back
among my family and thank God for that,” said the first-born child.
The elder Oyugi was
yet to return from Narok to meet his son but Mr Oyugi’s uncles Mose Ombeche and
Samuel Ombogo, said the news of the ‘resurrection’ had shocked them.
“In such
circumstances, he would not be allowed home until certain rites are
conducted,” said Mr Ombogo. “We
will have to first buy a white cock or white goat.
“They ( white cock or
goat) will be slaughtered and eaten by the family to cleanse him. When the body
that is buried here is exhumed, we will put the innards of the white goat into
the grave to cleanse the family.”
Area chief Albert
Michira said he had asked the family to obtain a court order to exhume the body
for burial by the rightful family.
Source: Daily Nation
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