Court halts Queen Jane's burial plans

By Wairimu Kamande

A man claiming to be the husband of the late Kikuyu benga songstress Jane Nyambura, popularly known as Queen Jane, has obtained orders stopping his in-law’s plans to inter her remains.

James Kariuki successfully obtained the orders from Thika Senior Resident Magistrate Ms Barbara Otieno stopping the burial of the musician, which had been planned to take place Friday at her parent’s home in Mugoiri, Murang’a, until the case is heard and determined.

Through Ngure Mbugua and Company Advocates, Kariuki says that the family of the late Kikuyu songstress has excluded him from all funeral arrangements, yet the deceased was his legally wedded wife, having married her under the Kikuyu customary law which was later solemnised in June 2001, under the Christian Marriage Act.

He says that being the lawful husband, he is entitled to bury her and thus wants her family stopped from the ongoing arrangements to inter her remains.

He adds that his wife’s body was transferred from Lang’ata Hospital without his knowledge.

Kariuki wants Queen Janes’s family to be stopped from making funeral announcements on the print and electronic media and the body preserved at the Chiromo Mortuary until the matter is resolved.

He says his exclusion from the burial proceedings has caused him mental and psychological torture.

Kariuki also says that his wife has never been estranged and they have lived happily together as a couple.

In the application, he also says there was a frosty relationship between the musician and one of her sisters, who is also a musician and who he has included as a defendant alongside his mother-in-law over alleged illegal production of the deceased’s music.

Kariuki says he has elaborate plans for a decent burial for his late wife at his farm in Makwa, Gatundu North. However, he says the plans have been jeopardised by his in-laws through media announcements.

Owino, while granting temporally orders stopping the planned burial, certified the matter as urgent and ruled that it be heard on July 12.

Queen Jane died last week while undergoing treatment at Langata Hospital.