Why burial of 12-year-old boy shot in Rongai was halted-police

The burial of 12 year old boy killed in the ongoing protests against proposed taxes was stopped due to a court order issued.

Inspector General of police Japhet Koome said the body of the late Kennedy Onyango was released to the mother, Josinter Anyango Ochieng for burial on July 4, 2024.

The event was to take place in Mbita Constituency, Homabay County.

This was after carrying out of the post-mortem by a Pathologist, Dr. Ndegwa P.M. with the outcome indicating that the boy died due to a single gunshot wound at a long range.

“The body was moved to Mbita for burial but upon arrival on July 5, 2024, one Denish Okinyi Abaga claiming to be the biological father of the boy appeared with a court order stopping the burial after he demanded to bury the boy.”

“Apparently, the Civil Suit No. 0028 of 2024 filed at Mbita Law Courts ordered
the police to move the body to Suba Sub-County Hospital Funeral Home for
preservation, and the OCS Mbita Police Station complied with the order,” he said.

Koome appealed to members of the public to remain calm as this matter regarding family burial dispute is resolved before a competent Court of Law.

Comedian Eric Omondi had shared that the burial of Kennedy who was shot in Rongai last week had been halted.
In a post shared via his official Instagram page, Omondi stated that the family of the minor was forced to halt the funeral after officers who had set a roadblock took the boy following a court order.

According to Omondi who pleaded with those involved to return the body, this happened a distance from the homestead, the body is presently lying at Kirindo mortuary in Mbita.

“So we got to Homa Bay to bury the 12-year-old Kennedy and just before getting to the homestead, we found. A police roadblock. They took the boy. Whoever is responsible please allow this woman to mourn in peace, allow her to bury her son. She has suffered enough,” Omondi said.

On her part, the bereaved mother tearfully pleaded with the government to help her access her child’s body and allow her to accord him a decent send-off.

“You have all the powers. After God, you are the second most powerful person in Kenya. Those who have taken my baby are under your authority. Ruto, return my baby,” she said.

The minor tragically lost his life after being shot during the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests in Rongai last Thursday, June 27, 2024.

President William Ruto has recently declared that contrary to reports that police officers gunned down the minor, the young boy was shot by a criminal who snatched a gun from a police officer.

“Unfortunately again, we have to be honest with one another, In Rongai it was said that this young Kenyan was pumped with 8 bullets, but that is also not true. There is a lot of information out there in social media propagated by people to try and create a situation, that did not exist,” Ruto said during an X-Space engagement on Friday, July 5, 2024.

“Kennedy Onyango was shot by a criminal who snatched a gun from an officer and started shooting indiscriminately.”