Busia Family Buries Banana Stem After Searching For Missing Son For 2 Years In Vain

• The family of Kennedy Were Wanga held a funeral for a banana stem after searching for him for two years in vain
• They bought a nice suit, dressed the banana stem, and placed it in a coffin to allow their kin's spirit to rest in peace
• "His spirit kept knocking at the gate, crying out that it was suffering in the cold and needed a decent burial," said his mother

A family in Akipeneti Village, Buteba Sub-county, Busia District, has performed a symbolic funeral for a banana stem.

The move was informed by a fruitless two-year search for their missing son, Kennedy Were Wanga.

Daily Monitor reports that Wanga was kidnapped on April 23, 2022, in Nambaale, Busia-Kenya, by armed men driving a numberless vehicle.

Since then, he has neither been seen nor heard from, dead or alive.

Before his disappearance, Wanga, who served as the Akipeneti Village Defense Secretary, was involved in the gold mining business.

According to his family, the decision to bury a banana stem in place of his body came after consultations with local elders and church leaders.

His younger sister, Maureen Wanga, said the symbolic burial was a necessary step to help his spirit find peace.

"We bought a nice suit, dressed the banana stem, and placed it in a coffin. We believe this will allow his spirit to rest in peace," Maureen said.

She explained that the family had searched prisons and police stations across Kenya for two and a half years but had not found anything.

Wanga’s mother, Jacklyn Apondi Wanga, 52, said the family was driven to desperate measures after his spirit reportedly began haunting them.

"His spirit kept knocking at the gate, crying out that it was suffering in the cold and needed a decent burial," she said tearfully.

The banana stem, she added, carried his spirit to its final resting place.

Hundreds of mourners attended the burial, and a somber mood enveloped the village as the banana-stem-filled coffin was lowered into the grave. .

The stem was placed in a coffin, reportedly costing over Shs1 million, which drew condolences and wreaths from grieving relatives.

Wanga had been a respected member of the community before his mysterious disappearance.

His gold mining business had reportedly earned him substantial wealth, allowing him to build homes in Akipeneti and Kenya.

However, his sudden disappearance has left the family grappling with unanswered questions and grief.

How did Kennedy Wanga disappear?

Maureen Wanga, who was with her brother on the day of his abduction, recounted the harrowing ordeal.

They had gone to buy chicken in Nambaale town when armed men forced Wanga into their vehicle at gunpoint.

Despite his resistance and demands to know the reason for his kidnapping, one of the men threatened to shoot him if he did not comply.

Wanga was driven towards Nambaale, Busia Road, which was the last time his sister saw him.

Days after his abduction, the family received a ransom demand of KSh 400,000, but after paying the money, communication with the alleged kidnappers ceased.

The family sold land, livestock, and motorcycles to raise the ransom, but Wanga was never released, and his captors stopped calling.

Despite attempts by the family to locate him, including a false tip about his location in Alupe, police investigations yielded no results.

Phone numbers used by the kidnappers were traced to deceased individuals, complicating the case.

Wanga’s wife, Lilian Nekesa, now faces the daunting task of raising their two daughters alone.

"Although the family has buried a banana stem, questions still linger: Who kidnapped my husband?" she asked, still hoping for answers.

Her biggest wish is to know the motive behind the kidnapping and where his body is if he was killed.

The mystery surrounding Wanga’s disappearance continues to haunt the family, even as they seek closure through the symbolic burial.