NAIROBI, Kenya- The family of late KCB Head of Data Protection Rosemary Chemutai Koech has explained why they proceeded with her burial at their home in Chepseon, Kericho County, despite a court order issued hours earlier seeking to stop the interment.
Chemutai was buried at about 7.30pm on Friday, August 28, after her parents chose to proceed with the burial amid a dispute with her husband, Kevin Migwe Kimwatu, over where she should be laid to rest.
Speaking during a memorial service on Saturday, Chemutai’s mother, Beatrice Koech, said the family wanted to give their daughter what they considered a dignified resting place where her four children could easily visit and mourn her.
“We are very excited that we have managed to give Chemu the dignity that she deserved,” Beatrice said, explaining that the family believed their daughter would be better placed at her parents’ home, where her children could visit whenever they missed her.
She acknowledged that Kalenjin tradition generally recognises that a married woman belongs to the family she married into, but argued that there were circumstances that justified Chemutai being buried at her parents’ home.
“In Kalenjin, we know that the children belong to where she was married but it is also okay for Chemu to be buried where she received comfort,” she said.
The family also cited cultural considerations surrounding the timing of the burial.
Clan chairman Samwel Keter said the family believed Chemutai, who died on August 21, should not remain unburied for several days following her death.
He said the decision was guided by Kalenjin cultural practices.
Kipsigis elder Joseph Towett Kalyasoi supported the family’s explanation, saying burials after sunset had historically been practised within parts of the Kipsigis community.
“Bodies used to be buried at night among members of the Kipsigis community,” Towett said, describing it as an old tradition.
The decision came only hours after Senior Principal Magistrate Agnes Mwangi of the Milimani Commercial Court issued interim orders restraining Chemutai’s family, KCB and other parties from removing her remains from Lee Funeral Home or proceeding with the burial without the involvement and consent of her husband.
Kimwatu had moved to court after accusing Chemutai’s family of excluding him from the funeral arrangements. He wanted her buried at his ancestral home in Matasia, Ngong, Kajiado County.
The couple, who married in 2013, had four children. Kimwatu told the court that although they had been separated for about four months before her death, they remained legally married and had been in contact.
The family’s decision to proceed with the burial has added another layer to the dispute, with the case scheduled for mention on August 31, 2026.
