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A family in Kwale County is navigating the complex and emotional process of repatriating the body of Mwandazi Athuman Mohammed.
Mwandazi passed away on January 24, 2025, in Saudi Arabia following a brief illness. This sudden loss has thrust her relatives into a situation fraught with financial and logistical challenges, as they seek to bring her remains back to Kenya for a proper burial. Mwandazi’s mother Mwanauru Nkulu is engulfed in grief and uncertainty, reflecting on their last conversation just days before her daughter’s passing.
"I got the sad news over the phone," she stated. "I don’t know how my daughter's body will get home. I don’t know who will help me. As we speak, I am losing hope. I want my daughter's body repatriated. I need to see her one last time and give her a proper burial."
Efforts to facilitate the repatriation are currently underway, but financial hurdles have significantly slowed progress. Mwandazi's uncle, Masudi Nkulu, reveals that the family has contacted the State Department for Diaspora Affairs but has yet to receive a response. Compounding their distress, Mwandazi’s employer has suggested that her remains be interred in Saudi Arabia rather than incur the escalating costs associated with keeping her body in a mortuary.
"He told me that the longer the body stays in the mortuary, the higher the preservation costs and it is becoming too expensive for him," Masudi explained.
This case highlights the broader systemic issues that families encounter while attempting to repatriate deceased loved ones from abroad. The financial burdens and bureaucratic obstacles can be overwhelming, often leaving families in dire straits during times of mourning.