Days after the family of the late Sharon Otieno accused social media users of scuttling their fundraiser by devising a budget with crazy luxurious items, blogger Robert Alai has questioned the burial committee’s decision to allocate Kshs. 50,000 for Sharon’s coffin.
According to Alai, a coffin of Kshs 50,000 is too expensive for someone of Sharon’s level. Alai has claimed that the funeral committee has shown greed by giving the public exaggerated budgets. He has called on the committee not to blame social media users since it is them that exaggerated the budget in the first place.
“For the late Sharon Otieno’s level, a coffin of Kshs 50,000 is too expensive. They blame social media users for exaggerating the budget while the same funeral committee chair still shows greed and exaggeration in his clarification,” tweeted Alai.
For the late Sharon Otieno’s level, a coffin of Kshs 50,000 is too expensive. They blame social media users for exaggerating the budget while the same funeral committee chair still shows greed and exaggeration in his clarification.
— Robert ALAI, HSC (@RobertAlai) October 16, 2018
A fake list of burial budget alleged to be for burying Sharon had been circulated in a number of social media platforms in Homa Bay, Migori, Kisumu and Siaya Counties.
Some of the crazy items in the budget included Sh300,000 for hiring professional mourners from Migori county and Ghana, importation of catering services from Mwanza, Tanzania at Sh200,000, Importing a coffin worth Sh200,000 from England among other crazy estimates.
The social media budget had several items which amounted to Sh2.5m. But the Committee Chairman Elijah Opiyo refuted the budget saying it is fake. Opiyo argued that the fake budget had been prepared by people who wanted to scuttle their preparations for the burial.
According Opiyo, their budget for the coffin is Sh50,000 against the Sh200,000 in the fake budget.
Sharon was abducted on September 3 with Nation Media Group journalist Barack Oduor before her body was found at Owade Village in Homa Bay County the following day.
Migori Governor Okoth Obado, his Personal Assistants have been charged with Sharon’s murder.
The late Sharon will be laid to rest on the 18th of October.