A lover and co-parent blocked a Kakamega family from burying their daughter who they had sired a child together.

The tense situation unfolded on Friday, September 8, 2023, at Kitengela Sub County Hospital mortuary as the man clashed with his in-laws over his wife’s body due to unpaid bride price.

The family of the deceased – including her mother and children – arrived at the morgue with a hearse to transport the body to Kakamega County for a scheduled burial on Saturday.

They were however met with resistance from the man who claimed that the deceased – Ms Agatha Khasandi Kulabi who passed on aged 47- was his wife and sought to halt the body’s release through a lawyer’s letter.

In the letter, Nicholas Muranda who was nowhere to be found, and his phone unanswered requested the morgue to continue holding the body until the matter was resolved.

Mourners, heartbroken and dejected, wept openly and spent hours at the morgue entrance. The morgue was locked, adding to the tension.

70-year-old Pamela Mbone who is the mother to the deceased explained that the man had not paid the bride price, preventing him from participating in Agatha’s burial.

She revealed that her daughter had been involved with three different men, none of whom had fulfilled the traditional bride price customs, despite having children with her.

Agatha’s mother expressed disappointment that Muranda had reneged on promises to pay the bride price, provide a coffin, or prepare the body.

A son of the deceased shared the family’s frustration, stating that they had made all necessary arrangements for their mother’s burial but were being obstructed by Muranda.

The family was determined not to let Agatha’s lover have a say in her burial and insisted on proceeding with her interment at her father’s home in Kakamega.

Agatha, a domestic helper in Mlolongo, had a complicated marital history, having lived with Muranda and had a child with him, in addition to three other children from previous marriages.

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