Gatundu: Family of Man Buried Within 15 Minutes Speaks, Explains What Happened
- Viral videos showed the late Julius Mbogo Thuku being buried within 15 minutes of arriving home from the mortuary on Friday, August 8
- The family of the deceased is now speaking, explaining the reasons the man's remains were buried hurriedly and why that was necessary
- Both the deceased’s daughter and wife said the change was agreed upon by the family and supported by the community
Kiambu - The family of a Gatundu man who was buried within 15 minutes after his body arrived home from the mortuary has explained why they hurried the process.
Source: Youtube
On Friday, August 8, the late Julius Mbogo Thuku was buried within minutes, and viral videos showed the family members and community quickly filling up his grave after the casket arrived in the compound.
Speaking to Castro Media, the family is now explaining why it was necessary to bury the deceased in such a manner, adding that it was a decision they all agreed on due to the prevailing circumstances.
Why was Gatundu man buried within 15 minutes?
His daughter narrated that the family had waited to bury Julius for three weeks.
"The burial had been postponed several times because the person with the burial permit was taking us in circles. We had to take the matter to court, and when the court ruled in our favour, we decided to bury him fast, not to risk another postponement," she explained.
The deceased's daughter said that, contrary to social media reports, there was a burial service later, after the deceased was buried, and lunch was also served to mourners.
"All we did was change the normal burial programme. Instead of starting with a service and sermon, we started with the burial of the body, a service, then lunch," she explained.
The deceased's wife said she supported the decision to bury the man quickly and before the rest of the burial programme.
"A pastor later preached, and lunch was served. So all that happened was that the programme was changed. We had waited three weeks to bury him," she said.
They said, though the decision was tough, it was the right one, since mortuary fees were also accumulating by the day, and they had been waiting for weeks to bury him.
"There are people who have been here for three weeks, waiting for the burial. When we got the authority to bury him, we had to," another family member said.
Did Gatundu family dishonour their kin?
The family also disputed views shared online that they disrespected their kin by burying him hurriedly.
"We did not bury him in such a manner to dishonour him. Even community members had contributed so much as we waited for the court's decision. We did what we had to do," he added.
The family called for privacy as they are still mourning their kin.
Source: Getty Images
Julius Mbogo's granddaughter speaks
In the same interview, Mbogo's granddaughter spoke and said she did not understand the social media buzz about the funeral since all the family did was rearrange the program.
"I saw they said we buried my grandfather in less than 15 minutes, but even in the other burials, I do not see people spending so much time around the graveside. I do not think it was an oddity as many suggested online," she said, adding that she has so much respect for her grandfather, as he raised her.
She called out anyone spreading false information, saying they should have reached out to the family for clarification.
"I know the burial was a bit different from the normal ceremonies, and we know that. But the burial had been delayed so much, and our lives were on hold. That is why we did it in such a manner. But we did not expect to trend," she added.
Viral video of Gatundu man's burial
This comes amidst the viral video shared online showing how the man was buried within minutes after his remains arrived at the compound.
Mourners who had flanked the grave were heard saying, 'faster! faster!' as the body was being lowered into the grave.
Within minutes, the grave was filled with soil, and the mourners erupted in a round of applause.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
