Is cremation the way to go? Many Kenyans and especially the elite are slowly embracing cremation as a new way to send their loved ones to the after-life.
Taking you back, we all remember that the Late Wangari Maathai was Cremeted, then came Kenneth Stanley Njindo Matiba who was cremeted last year in April.
Fast foward, Late billionaire and former Head of Civil Service and Secretary Jeremiah Gitau Kiereini is also set to be cremated today, four days after he died aged 90.
Family and few friends will attend the cremation function that will be strictly a private affair.
The man who rose to a powerful civil servant and head of East African Breweries Limited and The Cooper Motor Corporation lived a quiet life in his last years, frequenting Karen Country Club where he sipped tea and mingled with old buddies.
According to the family, the late octogenarian desired to be cremated. Despite living in public glare his sendoff will be a quiet affair.
Kiereini lost two sons in controversial circumstances. Mburu Kiereini who was diagnosed with motor neuron disease was found dead in his house in 2010 and his brother Githae Kiereini was found dead in his Karen house in 2017.
Many Kenyans however, still view cremation as a foreign concept even as Langata Cemetary officials note that the number of those opting for it is on the rise.“Per month its five to ten, that is around 60 bodies in a year,” Lang’ata Cemetery Funeral Superintendent Nderitu Maina confirmed.