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Return of ‘dead’ son throws family members into panic


A family in Masaba South Sub- County in Kisii got a shock of their life after their son showed up on Tuesday, a month after they had buried a body presumed to be his.

Vincent Oyugi was presumed dead after an accident at Ewaso Nyiro, Narok County when a pick-up delivering vegetables to a local market veered off the road and rolled several times killing three people on the spot. He was thought to have been among the dead.

It all started in August when Vincent left his rented house in the outskirts of Narok Town to look for a day’s job in one of the farms in the outskirts of the town.

That day, he was lucky and secured a job and joined a group of three other workers who helped in the harvesting of cabbages in some farm.

But it was after nearly two months that family members, among them his father Oyugi received news that their son might have died in the accident after he delayed returning home.

“He had also been informed by someone, who was at the scene then, that his son Vincent was among those who had boarded the pick-up then and might have died alongside three other occupants during the accident,” Vincent’s mother, Eunice Oyugi told  the Nation at Riamakanda, a ten minute drive from Keroka town, on Wednesday.

BURIAL OF BODY

The devastating news sent the family into shock sparking a flurry of funeral arrangements, which culminated in the collection and subsequent burial of a body presumed to be Vincent’s on December 4, 2016.

She said both the autopsy and identification of the body was done at the Narok County hospital before they were granted permission to take the body home for burial.

However, she added that no DNA tests were done to ascertain if indeed the body belonged to their kin.

“The body was in bad shape and we were convinced that the body belonged to my son and so we proceeded to make the burial arrangements,” she said.

Throughout, the whole village stood with the family in undertaking all the burial rites.

But late on Tuesday, the man presumed dead strutted into the compound to the consternation of the villagers and kin.

SHOCKING NEWS

“I was at the farm planting maize when I received call from my husband that our son was alive,” Ms Oyugi said.

“I was at a loss whether to cry or laugh because I could not believe that the person we had buried was not my son,” said Ms Oyugi wiping away tears of joy.

At first she could not come to terms with the shocking news.

“I had to check birth marks on his body to ascertain if truly he was my son,” the mother of six narrated.

Vincent, however, said that he had all the while been at his residence in Narok and was not aware that his family members were looking for him.

“It is true I was in the vehicle but had jumped out shortly before it rolled. I even sustained a minor scar but walked away still in shock and I did not return to the scene. Perhaps this is how the confusion that I had died came about,” said Vincent adding that he did not certain who among the farmhands he was working with had died.

SEEN A GHOST

“Much of the other details I learnt sometime later when I went back to my residence but it did not bother me much. I later I had to continue with my work because I have a family to feed,” he narrated.

On January 1, he went to check on his brother Dismas, who also lives in Narok, but who in fear that he had seen a ghost, ran for cover leaving him in awe.

“At first I could not understand the fuss, only to learn later on that he had been told that I was dead and buried,” he said.

“I am happy to be back among my family members and wish to thank God for that,” the first born in a family of six said.

His father, Mr Oyugi was still in Narok and is due to travel back home for a happy re-union with his son.

Vincent‘s uncles, Mose Ombeche and Samuel Ombogo, said the news of the ‘resurrection’ have shocked them big time.

CLEANSING RITES

“In such incidents, the son will not be allowed into the home until certain cleansing rites have been performed. We will have to buy a white cock or white goat to help in cleansing the bad omen from the family before he is allowed in,” said Mr Ombogo.

He said in normal circumstances even the mother will not be allowed to get into contact with him.

“Once the cock is bought, it will be slaughtered and eaten by the family members to cleanse him of the bad omen. However, when the body buried here will have to be exhumed and innards of a slaughtered white goat poured into the grave to cleanse the family of evil spirits,” he said.

Area chief Albert Michira, who visited the village, called on the Government to come and exhume the body the family had buried.

“We have already notified the family to get a court order to facilitate the exhumation so that the body gets to be buried by their rightful relatives,” he said.