COURT STOPS ONGATA RONGAI KID SHOT, DUE TO FAMILY CONFLICT
The burial of Kennedy Onyango, a young boy tragically shot during anti-Finance Bill protests in Ongata Rongai, was marred by a dispute between two families, halting the proceedings. Originally scheduled for Friday at Matenga village in Mbita, Homa Bay County, the burial faced complications during its journey from Ongata Rongai.
As the convoy transporting Kennedy’s body approached Mbita town, police intervened, seizing the body following a court order prompted by Denis Okinyi Obaga, who claimed to be Kennedy’s biological father. Obaga, a resident of Kisaku Village, argued that his rights as a father would be violated if Kennedy was buried in Rusinga, where the mother intended, instead of being laid to rest near him in Suba.
Obaga clarified that despite initial reports stating Kennedy was 12 years old, he was actually 17 and was preparing to transfer schools from Ongata Rongai to Suba before his untimely death. His legal challenge to the burial plans resulted in a court order instructing the police to redirect Kennedy’s body to the Suba Sub-County Hospital Mortuary pending further legal proceedings.
“I took legal action to ensure my son is laid to rest where he belongs,” Obaga emphasized. “We intercepted the convoy in Mbita town under police escort as there was no alternative route they could take.”
In the court proceedings, Obaga named Michael Odero and Jocinta Anyango, Kennedy’s mother, as respondents. Mbita Principal Magistrate Nicodemus Moseti swiftly certified the urgency of the case and ordered compliance with the court’s decision by local law enforcement.
“This application is urgent. The OCS Mbita Police Station is directed to enforce these orders,” Magistrate Moseti affirmed, underscoring the judicial authority’s intervention to settle the dispute over Kennedy’s final resting place.
