Woman in 1,000 acre JKIA land battle to be buried

A court has ordered the burial of a woman whose body has been in the morgue for five years following a tussle over land worth billions of shillings in Embakasi, Nairobi.

Makadara Chief Magistrate Heston Nyaga also ruled that Beatrice Syokau (pictured) died of natural causes.

Mr Nyaga said the prime land was the only reason Syokau had not been laid to rest because her burial was being planned by people who were not even her relatives.

He said Syokau ought to have been buried without delay, adding that she did not deserve the torment she had undergone due to greed.

The magistrate said that from the evidence provided, it was clear the old woman had died of natural causes because she had been suffering from a viral disease for a long time.

“I have no reasons to doubt the opinions of the medical experts who confirmed that she was a long-term patient,” said Mr Nyaga.

He, however, noted that toxicological tests were not conducted as advised by a pathologist. This, he said, would have ended speculation that Syokau was poisoned.

“My advice to the parties is to let the deceased’s soul to rest in peace because there is no one to be held culpable for her death. I will leave the family to discuss how to settle the massive bill accrued at the morgue. If they cannot, it will be a matter to be determined by a civil court," the magistrate ruled.

Syokau, who died in 2014, had inherited the prime land neighbouring Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after the death of her husband, John Kathumba.

Ownership of the vast estate would soon be mired in controversy as corrupt land officers and other powerful individuals forged documents determined to secure portions of the land.

Syokau would later be allegedly abducted from her home only to be found four years later admitted to Kenyatta National Hospital in critical condition. There followed a tussle over her burial as speculation also raged that she had been poisoned.

The Director of Public Prosecutions had directed that an inquest be held to determine the cause of Syokau's death.