Video Captures Bizarre Moment Kenyan Man Slips, Falls into Grave While Lowering Casket
- A Kenyan burial ceremony was thrown into chaos after a pallbearer accidentally slipped and fell into the grave while lowering a casket
- The bizarre moment, captured on video, shows him tumbling onto the coffin before being pulled out by shocked mourners
- In many African traditions, such an incident is seen as a spiritual warning that requires urgent prayers
A burial ceremony in Kenya took an unexpected turn after one of the pallbearers slipped and fell into the grave while lowering a casket.
Source: TikTok
In a video shared on TikTok, four men were seen carefully guiding the casket into the ground when one of them suddenly lost balance.
He stumbled forward, landing on the casket before tumbling inside the grave, disturbing the white net covering it.
The burial came to a temporary standstill as fellow mourners rushed to help the man out of the grave.
Though he managed to get back on his feet and climb out without visible injuries, the incident left many shaken.
African belief about falling into grave
Matayo Kibunja, an elder who spoke to TUKO.co.ke, explained that such occurrences are rarely taken lightly in the African culture.
He shared that they are often interpreted as symbolic messages from the afterlife, specifically an early calling from the ancestors.
"It doesn't just happen for the sake. One of the explanations is that the individual who fell had unfinished business with the deceased," he started.
Some of the so-called unfinished business, Kibunja says, is attending the funeral of someone whose death you had a hand in.
Source: TikTok
How to mitigate against graveside blunders
Kibunja reiterated that life and death should never meet at any point, and a grave is a symbol of death. So, going into the grave before the one it was sunk for is akin to toying with death.
It is, therefore, believed that death is hovering close by, with tradition dictating that the person involved undergo prayers and cleansing rituals.
"If you must attend the burial, open up to the elders and undergo cleansing before the ceremony," he insisted.
The elderly man warned that failure to do so could bring misfortune or even untimely death to the individual.
Kenyans react to man falling into grave
The video has since gone viral online, drawing a mix of shock, sympathy, and cultural reflections from Kenyans and beyond.
Others, however, viewed the incident as a simple occurrence, attributing the fall to the fact that the man attended the funeral while drunk.
Mohammed bin Ismail
"After your bestie died and you promised him to always be by his side, and now he is being buried, but he wants to go with you because of the promise you made."
Prosper Maureen Asengi
"Na ndio huwa wanasema kama wewe ni mlevi usikuje kubeba mwili na usisongee kaburi."
Marjory Wanjiku
"Ona marehemu anauliza sasa wewe ni nini. Kuja hapo kiherehere peleka huko."
Busia man dies after falling into grave
In an unrelated incident, 28-year-old Emmanuel Makokha from Busia collapsed and died after falling into a grave during a burial.
Makokha reportedly died instantly, leaving mourners shocked as they struggled to comprehend his bizarre death, sparking superstitious explanations.
An elder claimed that in Luhya culture, a man romantically involved with the wife of the deceased risks sudden death if he attends the funeral without cleansing.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
