Mother and son charged with stealing man's corpse from Mombasa mortuary

Jane Mbula (left) and her son John Mutua at the Mombasa Court in Mombasa County on Monday 8th August 2017, where they were arraigned in court for contravening the court's orders which stopped the two from burying the late Kisavi Jackson Kisangai, who was Jane's husband. They were released on a personal bond. Photo/Kelvin Karani

A woman was charged on Monday with stealing the body of her husband from a Mombasa mortuary and burying it against a court order.

The alleged theft and burial occurred after the first wife moved to court and obtained orders to stop the burial of Kisavi Jackson Kisangai, who died in December last year.

Jane Mbula, who was Kisangai's second wife, was arrested in Makueni County after burying him on August 15, 2017.

Also charged with the theft are the woman's son, John Mutua, and a mortuary attendant at the Coast General Hospital.

Ruth Munee Kisavi, the first wife, had gone to court to challenge Senior Resident Magistrate Edgar Kagoni's ruling that allowed Mbula to bury Kisangai.

Burial arrangements

On August 3, 2017, Kagoni ruled that Mbula proceed to bury her husband at their home in Mbooni but allowed Kisavi to participate in the burial arrangements.

But on August 4, 2017, Kisavi filed an application before Senior Principal Magistrate Francis Kyiambia and obtained an order stopping the burial.

Kisavi argued that according to Kamba customary law on burial, she was the one entitled to bury her husband because she was his first wife.

Kisavi obtained a warrant of arrest against her co-wife on August 16, 2017, for contravening court orders. [Joackim Bwana]