A Bungoma man who stumbled upon a dead body in a thicket near his house will have to be cleansed by Bukusu elders before he interacts with other residents.
Peter Muli from Sayuni village in Misikhu ward of Webuye West on Friday came across the body of a man in a thicket near his house as he was cutting grass for his livestock.
He said he saw a "strange thing" and when he moved closer, he discovered it was a body lying on its front. "When he touched him, he discovered he was dead."
Muli said he rushed and notified the village elder who informed police officers.
The mother of the deceased man Petronila Mukanda said she suspects that her son, 45, might have died after having a domestic squabble with his wife.
She said he had been missing for about a week.
"My son had a fight with his wife over assisting his wife’s child. The wife is currently admitted at a local hospital," Mukanda said.
She said the two had been having constant fights in the past month.
According to Bukusu traditions, Muli is supposed to be given a cow and a sheep for finding a body.
Mzee Patrick Waswa, an elder, said Muli is also supposed to be separated from interacting with his family and other people until a special ritual is conducted on him.
Failure to do so, the elder said, will cause a calamity upon the man, his family and the whole village.
Miskhu assistant chief Bernad Mukenya asked couples to find an amicable way of solving domestic disputes among themselves.
He said police have begun a probe to ascertain the cause of the man's death.
The body was taken to Webuye County Hospital morgue.
Edited by R.Wamochie
