Court orders man's body exhumed for re-burial in Ndhiwa

A court in Ndhiwa has ordered the exhumation of the body of a 35-year-old man who was buried in Seme, Kisumu County, without the knowledge or consent of his mother. Ndhiwa Principal Magistrate Phylis Lusiah directed that the body of Joab Otieno be exhumed from Kakelo Village, Rata Center in Seme and transferred to the Ndhiwa Sub County Hospital mortuary pending the hearing of a case filed by his mother, Monica Auma. Auma told the court that her son was buried on April 20, 2026, by a woman identified as Jenipher Nundu, without her participation. She argued that the burial contravened Luo cultural traditions and insisted that Otieno should be laid to rest at their home in Koogo Komolo Village, Kanyamwa Location in Ndhiwa. She also offered to meet all costs associated with the exhumation and re burial. Otieno died on April 14, 2026. His father, Joseph Nyadiero, welcomed the ruling, saying he did not know the woman who conducted the burial and emphasized that Nundu was not a relative. The court has directed that the body remain preserved as the matter proceeds to full hearing.