Drama as body exhumed over Sh8,000 land dispute

Youths exhume the body of the late Ogada Ouko at Tiengre in Kisumu county on May 23 following a court order over land dispute. The late Ogada who died in 2014 sold the land in 1986 and is said to have been part of the transaction. PIC BY COLLINS ODUOR

Police yesterday clashed with angry villagers who tried to block them from exhuming a body from a disputed piece of land.

Residents of Korando village in Kisumu West engaged the police in running battles as the law enforcers went to execute a court order for the exhumation.

Ogada Ouko’s body had been lying in the mortuary since 2014 as the tussle over a piece of land raged. When he was buried on the disputed land two months ago, the land buyer objected and obtained court orders to have it exhumed.

When he died, Ouko, was at the centre of the controversy. His uncle is said to have sold the one-acre piece of land in 1986 for Sh8,000.

Disputed land

However in January 2014, when Ouko died, members of his clan attempted to bury him on the dispute land since his family had no other parcel.

The efforts were thwarted by a court order obtained by Gibson Onunga, who claimed to be the rightful owner.

Mr Onunga insists he acquired the land legally. He said the land was transferred to him by his father, who bought it from Ouko’s father.

“My father bought the land and all due process was followed. Even the deceased had no problem with the land, but it is sad that his clansmen insisted that he had to be buried here,” said Onunga.

In 2014, Ouko’s funeral had to be postponed after Onunga declined to have the body buried on his land.

The body had to be taken back to the mortuary as the two families battled in court.

However in April this year, Ouko’s family claimed to have won the case, prompting them to arrange for the burial of their kin on the disputed land.

But two months after the burial, Onunga yesterday stormed the piece of land with a contingent of police officers from the Kisumu West headquarters, where they were met with a charged crowd that tried to block the exhumation.

Police had to shoot in the air and use teargas to disperse the protesters, who temporarily blocked the Kisumu-Busia road, vowing to stop the petitioner from settling on the disputed parcel.

The angry residents razed Onunga’s house.

However, the exhumation went on.