Mourners reject county funeral donation

Mourners at Anthony Musa's home at Mtangani village in Malindi sub-county on Saturday. On the left is an image of Mr Musa. [Nehemiah Okwembah, Standard]

Mourners at the funeral of a boda boda rider in Kilifi County rejected food donated by the county government.

Anthony Musa died on Tuesday last week after he was reportedly knocked down by a Kilifi County inspectorate vehicle that was chasing a public service vehicle in Malindi town.

The mourners at Mtangani village on Saturday booed the officers who brought the food and blocked them from entering the deceased's compound.

The county government had offered 300kg of rice, two bags of maize, cooking oil, wheat flour and Sh100,000 for funeral preparations.

Alfred Ngalla, an uncle of the deceased, said the family did not want any donations from the county administration.

Joseph Mwangu, the vice chairman of the Kilifi County Boda Boda Association, said it was not the first time the vehicle had knocked down a motorcyclist.

21 days

Earlier this year, he said, the same vehicle injured a woman who was on a boda boda.

The association threatened to go to court if the county government did not not compensate the family in 21 days.

“We want the DPP to investigate this matter and ensure the family gets justice,’’ he said.

Relations between the association and the county government worsened after the members accused county hospitals of denying Mr Musa treatment.

On Tuesday last week the boda boda operators demonstrated at the Malindi sub-county hospital to protest at the alleged neglect.

The boda boda riders, hooting and shouting at the entrance of the hospital, brought operations to a halt as they demanded to be told why Musa was allegedly left unattended for two hours.

However, the Kilifi health CEC, Omar Anisa, insisted that medical personnel had done their best to save the patient, but his condition worsened as he was about to be taken for an X-ray.