A bitter family feud has erupted in Kiambu and Nakuru counties as two families of the late Mburu Kinani lock horns over his final resting place. The late Mburu’s first family has now moved to court, seeking the exhumation of his remains, which were buried by his second family in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
The dispute traces back to long-standing tensions between the two households. The first family argues that they were sidelined when the burial was conducted at the Gilgil home of Mburu’s second wife, contrary to earlier directions. They maintain that their father’s wish, and cultural expectations, was for him to be laid to rest at his ancestral land in Gatanga, Murang’a County, beside the grave of his first wife.
Initially, this position seemed secured after a ruling by a magistrate ordered that the burial be conducted at Gatanga. However, the second family, led by Kiambu Deputy Governor Rosemary Njeri Kirika and her siblings, appealed the ruling at the High Court. On September 16, 2025, the High Court overturned the earlier decision, granting permission for the burial to proceed in Gilgil.
The first family now claims they were unfairly denied an opportunity to appeal that ruling. They argue that the second family quickly collected the body from Kijabe Mission Hospital on September 17, 2025, and conducted the burial under the cover of evening, starting at 6:00 p.m. Lawyers representing the first family contend that new documents were introduced during the appeal which had not been presented at the magistrate’s court, raising questions of fairness in the proceedings.
In their new application, the first family is seeking the exhumation of the body and its reburial in Gatanga. They insist this would honor both Agikuyu customs and their father’s dignity. They also want the High Court’s ruling set aside, arguing it was tainted by procedural flaws and that their rights as children of the deceased were disregarded.
The late Mburu, who passed away on November 20, 2024, at the age of 92, was a respected elder whose death has now exposed deep cracks between his two families. The court battle is set to test not only legal grounds but also the delicate balance between modern law and cultural traditions in Kenya’s family disputes.
