Family Shocked as 'Buried' Meru Relative Reappears

A family in Meru County finds themselves in a mysterious situation after a man they presumed dead and buried returned home alive.

Abdalla Mwenda Suleiman, a 20-year-old miraa picker, reappeared at his family's residence in Loire village near Mutuati market on October 8, a week after his supposed burial. The family had mistakenly identified and interred a body found in a house where Mwenda previously resided with his estranged wife. Upon his unexpected return, Mwenda expressed shock at the news of his own funeral. He explained that due to the nature of his work, he frequently moved between locations and had relocated to Nthambiro, approximately 20 kilometres away after separating from his wife.

A colleague corroborated Mwenda's account, revealing that they had unknowingly passed by Mwenda's home on the day of the burial, observing a large gathering without realizing its significance. The revelation has plunged the family into a state of confusion. Mwenda's father Meeme M'Nchebere who resides in Voi rushed to the family home upon receiving news of his son's supposed death. As a practising Muslim, M'Nchebere did not view the body before the burial, adhering to religious customs. The family now faces the daunting task of exhuming the misidentified body, a process fraught with legal and financial challenges.

Local authorities including Mutuati Deputy County Commissioner Sylvester Mwangulu have become involved in the case. The police are working to secure a court order for exhumation, but the process has been delayed due to the family's non-appearance in court. Complicating matters further, the buried body is connected to an ongoing murder investigation, with the primary suspect still at large.

"The DCIO [Directorate of Criminal Investigations Officer] has already sworn an affidavit and the matter was to be heard on Monday. However, the victim and his father did not appear in court. They are required in court before an order is issued," says Mr Mwangulu.