Why a wife has more rights on a husband than his mother, case study of Ken Okoth

The body of the late Kibra Member of Parliament Ken Okoth was finally cremated in the early hours of Saturday morning.

ODM secretary-general Edwin Sifuna who is also a family lawyer of the deceased legislature confirmed the cremation of Okoth’s body at the Kariokor Crematorium saying that it was done according to the wish of the late MP.

However, the cremation of Okoth’s body has brought a sharp division among the native Luo where the MP belonged.

Many including the Luo Council Of Elders publicly opposed the move saying cremation is against the Luo culture.

What we can learn from this whole saga is that a wife has power over what is to be done with the body of her husband when he passes away.

Like in Okoth’s situation, his wife, Monica Lavender Okoth, insisted that it was his husband’s wish to be cremated and thus the family had to honour that will.

In the end, she succeeded to do it even with strong opposition from the MP’s mother who reportedly insisted on burying his son and the Luo Council of Elders who had opposed the move earlier.