The family of Saleh Wanjala, Bungoma's 'James Bond', who made headlines in 2016 by hanging onto the landing skids of an airborne chopper, is too poor to bury him.
The family is begging for help to lay the 45-year-old father of four to rest.
His mother Everlyne Namusia said Wanjala died on September 28 at Bungoma County Referral Hospital after a short illness.
The family cannot afford to pay the mounting mortuary fees, buy a coffin and decent clothing - to say nothing of the burial expenses.
“We are appealing to the Bungoma county government, well wishers, NGOs and good-hearted people to stand with us. Every day we have to pay the mortuary Sh600.
"I don’t understand how long the body will stay in the morgue. Please help us accord him a good send-off," Namusia said.
Saleh is supposed to be buried in Makemo, Webuye East constituency.
Wanjala made headlines on May 13, 2016, after he clung to the landing skids of an airborne helicopter ferrying the body of the slain Nairobi businessman Jacob Juma.
The body had been taken to Posta Grounds in Bungoma town for viewing by the public. But when the helicopter took off for Juma's home in Bumula constituency, the visibly drunken Wanjala was hanging as it rose into the air.
Shouting from the public made the pilot notice the strange dangling man; he made an emergency landing at Bungoma airstrip.
Wanjala jumped off the helicopter. He was rushed to Bungoma County Referral hospital where he was treated for a week.
'James Bond' then was arranged for endangering his life and trying to commit suicide. The charges were dropped.
He and 11 family members were later given a free Kenya Airways flight to Nairobi to fulfil his dream of flying.
(Edited by V. Graham)
