Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Friday, May 5 announced that Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo will steer a national funeral committee to plan the burial of the late Mukami Kimathi, widow of the late Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi.
Gachagua hosted the family of the late Mukami at his office at Harambee House Annex in Nairobi following instructions from President William Ruto.
“On instructions from H.E. President William Samoei Ruto, this afternoon at Harambee House Annex, I met the family of the late hero of our freedom Mukami Kimathi, the widow of the late General Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi. I have conveyed the condolences of H.E. the President, the condolences of the people of Kenya, and my condolences to the family on the loss of their matriarch,” Gachagua stated.
The Deputy President further announced that the funeral service for the late Mukami will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at her home in Njabini, Nyandarua County and that President Ruto will lead the government in giving the late hero a befitting send-off.
Omollo will chair the national funeral committee to plan the burial of Field Marshal Mukami and another committee at the County level will be chaired by the Governor of Nyandarua County, Moses Ndirangu Badilisha.
“The Government has agreed to the request by the family of the late hero that all surviving and other freedom fighters will be accorded special recognition during the service. I urge all Kenyans at this difficult moment to pray for the family of Dedan Kimathi and Mukami Kimathi,” he added.
Trade Cabinet Secretary (CS) Moses Kuria had previously called upon the British government to work with President Ruto’s administration to identify where the late Dedan Kimathi was buried and likewise called for the body’s exhumation.
Defending his call, the CS noted that this would allow the government to accord a joint burial to both of the heroes.
“I believe firmly that it is still possible, probably with the support of the British government, to identify the exact place he was buried so that as we mourn Mukami, we should have Kimathi’s remains exhumed for a joint burial,” Kuria told the press at Lee Funeral, Nairobi.
Mukami’s daughter, Evelyne Kimathi, had earlier revealed that her mother’s last wish was that Dedan Kimathi’s body be released from Kamiti Maximum Security Prison and given a dignified burial.
Also Read: Mukami Kimathi, widow of freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi dies aged 101 in Nairobi, family confirms.
Prior to her death, Mukami had also requested the government to help her trace Dedan Kimathi’s grave, noting that it was her family’s wish to bury their kin who played a vital role in securing Kenya’s independence in 1963.
Evelyn had confirmed that the late Mukami was taken to Nairobi Hospital where the death was confirmed. The body is currently lying at the Lee Funeral Home.
Prior to her demise on Thursday night, May 4, Mama Mukami was in and out of Nairobi Hospital where she has been receiving treatment most of the time, with her sickness often reportedly linked to her old age.
During her last visit to the hospital, Mukami received financial aid from President Ruto’s administration, which helped her clear her Ksh1.3 million hospital bill.
