Othaya man can't trace grave after refusing to bury wife over curse on disputed land

NYERI: A man who refused to bury his wife, fearing a curse over a disputed land in Othaya, does not know where the body was reburied.

This is three years after the High Court ordered its exhumation.

Peter Njagi, 70, refused to bury his wife, Esther Wambui, on any other land other than the place his wife had chosen to be buried in. The problem was, the land had been sold by Wambui's brother.

Ms Wambui died on October 4, 2013 after she allegedly fell ill due to a curse from her mother who had wished to be buried with the title deed of the two-acre land.

In 2009, Wambui's mother, Esther Kamuyu, registered the land under the name of her son, Charles Macharia. But the title deed later went missing.

Mr Njagi said his mother-in-law allegedly demanded the land title must be returned and placed on her coffin before she was buried.

Despite delaying the burial to honour her dying wish, the document did not materialise. After much persuasion, the family resorted to bury her, against her wish; without the title deed.

Njagi said that for defying the order, his wife was allegedly cursed. "Under Kikuyu customs, if you do not honour someone's dying wish, you will carry a curse," he said.

It later emerged that her son had sold the land to a pastor. As a result, Wambui moved to court seeking orders to block the sale, alleging that the pastor could not have acquired the land legitimately since her brother was mentally unstable.

However, before the court could rule on the matter, Wambui fell ill and died. Njagi disowned the body and refused to bury her on any other land lest he be cursed, as well.

"My wife was not sick; she carried a curse because she did not follow her mother's wishes before burying her," Njagi said.

After her death, the body was left in mortuary for over three years. Njagi later went ahead and buried her on the disputed land.

The court ordered that the body be exhumed and buried elsewhere but Njagi refused, afraid that he would be cursed. He said his decision to disown the body was to protect his family from the curse because "death was following the body over the alleged curse".

After being exhumed, Njagi said the body of his wife of 41 years was later interred at an undisclosed location, which has left his family psychologically tormented.