A Rongo court has ordered the exhumation of a General Service Unit (GSU) police officer buried earlier this year within the compound of the controversial St. Joseph Mission of Messiah in Africa, Rongo Sub-County.
Delivering the judgment, Rongo Principal Magistrate Chrisphine Orwo directed that the remains of the late officer, identified as Dan Ayoo Obura, be reburied at his ancestral home in Kochieng Village, Nyando Sub-County, Kisumu County.
The magistrate ruled that the deceased’s wife must guide public health officers to the exact burial site within the church compound to ensure a precise and respectful exhumation.
The court instructed that the process be conducted by a public health officer under the security of the Officer Commanding Kamagambo Police Station. It further directed that the officer’s wife participate in the burial rites at the Nyando homestead.
Magistrate Orwo said the ruling was guided by customary law, which he noted takes precedence in such matters when consistent with justice. He dismissed claims by the respondents that the burial in the church compound was justified because the officer had sold his only piece of land, terming the argument “illogical.”
The officer’s widow, Lilian Atieno, has signaled her intention to appeal the decision. Obura was buried in March 2025, months before the government shut down the St. Joseph Mission of Messiah over multiple allegations. The premises had earlier been declared a crime scene by security officials in Rongo Sub-County.
Written By Rodney Mbua
