"I was beaten, my shoes thrown into the grave", widow speaks out after Nyamira burial attack
Mellen Mogaka was attacked on March 21, 2025, in Kiambere, Mwongorisi, after defying demands to take part in a burial ritual that required her to toss soil into the grave of her late husband.
A Nyamira widow has broken her silence after the assault she endured at her estranged husband's burial, which left her battered and humiliated.
Mellen Mogaka says she was attacked on March 21, 2025, in Kiambere, Mwongorisi, after defying demands to take part in a burial ritual that required her to toss soil into the grave of her late husband, Joseph Osoro, a boda boda rider who died in a road accident.
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Mogaka, who traveled from Narok County for the funeral, described a terrifying experience that began the night before the burial.
"I was locked up in a room with the coffin containing his remains. I spent the night with the body," she said during an interview with the Daily Nation.
The next day, as the burial proceeded, her in-laws forcibly dragged her to the gravesite and demanded that she take part in the ritual. When she resisted, a group of men attacked her.
"I tried to resist, but I was assaulted and beaten up. They insisted that I should throw a handful of soil into the grave as a sign of goodwill to the deceased," she said.
According to her, the attack escalated as the men became more aggressive.
"I was kicked, beaten, and even my shoes were thrown into the grave and buried with the body," Mogaka recounted.
According to Daily Nation, she attempted to flee to a nearby tea plantation, but the attackers pursued her, forcibly dragging her back.
"They roughed me up, and I sustained injuries. I don’t know why they harassed me," she said.
We demand swift prosecution of the perpetrators and an end to harmful practices that violate women's rights. Justice for Mellen Mogaka is justice for all women in Kenya. #EndGBV #Womeninpoliticeke pic.twitter.com/V67JqTIyA3
— KEWOPA (@KEWOPA) March 25, 2025
Before the violence erupted, Mogaka had sent her cousin to take her children to witness their father’s burial.
However, instead of allowing her to stand by and watch, members of her former husband's family confronted her and insisted she participate in the ritual.
"They confronted me and demanded that I must pour soil into the grave," she said.
Burial ritual
In the Abagusii community, the burial ritual is seen as a widow’s final farewell to her husband. However, there are claims that the tradition is meant to bind the widow to the deceased and discourage her from remarrying.
The attack has sparked outrage, with the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA), the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), and the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Kenya condemning the act and calling for justice.
KEWOPA Chairperson MP Leah Sankaire termed the attack "unacceptable" and demanded action from authorities.
"Such acts of gender-based violence, rooted in harmful cultural practices, must be denounced in the strongest terms. Justice must not stop at arrests; the perpetrators must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Sankaire stated.
Police have arrested three suspects in connection with the assault, but KEWOPA insists this is not enough.
"This case must set a precedent that violence against women, regardless of cultural justifications, will not be tolerated," Sankaire added.
NGEC Chairperson Rehema Jaldesa also condemned the attack, linking it to deep-rooted gender-based violence.
"Harmful cultural practices like this persist due to fear of stigmatization and ostracization. These oppressive traditions blatantly contravene the Constitution and international human rights standards, which mandate gender equality and non-discrimination," Rehema said.
She urged communities to seek peaceful resolutions through lawful means rather than resort to violent traditions.
FIDA Kenya also described the incident as "heinous" and called for a collaborative effort among law enforcement, community leaders, and cultural elders to end such practices.
The National Police Service (NPS) condemned the attack, saying it was a violation of human dignity.
"The National Police Service has noted with utmost concern a disturbing video circulating on social media, which shows a woman being physically assaulted at what is believed to be a burial ceremony," NPS spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said.
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