Residents of Kipkenyo in Uasin Gishu county were treated to a bizarre incident where a 77-year-old man Paul Chemng’ok was buried without a coffin and his body covered by a cowhide. This is according to a will he wrote before he died.
His younger brother Serem Kispsaina explained to K24 Digital that the burial rights were conducted strictly in adherence to Chemng’ok's wishes.
"Before he died on Sunday, he reminded us of how he wanted to be buried. He insisted that there should be no eulogies at the burial, no preaching and that his body be covered with the hide of the bull that would be slaughtered after his death. He wrote all this in a will, and we did exactly as he wished,” he said.
The old man was born in 1944 and grew up at Senetwet village in Nandi County and is said not to have believed in any religion.
“Chemngok as we used to call him as our elder brother did not believe in any religion be it Christianity or Muslim despite our large family having people who believe in the two religions. He only believed that there was a creator whom he prayed to in his own way,” Serem added.
The old man was however buried in accordance with Nandi cultural burial rights; facing east and his head facing his right-hand side.
