Soldier's family stop funeral, they got the wrong body

'The family conducted a ritual at the empty grave on Saturday night. Mr Rinu said the grave would be filled since his son’s body had not been found.'

Mr Salesio Rinu from Twale Village, Meru County, Kenya, was set to bury his second born son, Corporal David Gitonga, 35, on Saturday.

Plans to bury the soldier  killed in Somalia hit a snag when the family was told that DNA samples from siblings did not match the body.

Mourners at the funeral that was not

Credit Phoebe Okall/Nation Media Group




The family conducted a ritual at the empty grave on Saturday night. Mr Rinu said the grave would be filled since his son’s body had not been found.

Corporal Gitonga’s uncle, Dr Kaberia Limuki, told the daily nation the family was yet to come to terms with the news. He said information received from the military was scanty and of little help.

“I believe he is still alive. The government should speed up investigations and tell us what happened.”