Kenya: No Way to Rest in Peace

In his lifetime Silvano Otieno rose from rural tribal roots to become one of Kenya's top criminal lawyers. But since the thoroughly westernized Otieno's death last December at the age of 55, the question of his burial site has rocked Kenya's legal system, stirred tribal outrage, and raised thorny feminist issues.

While Otieno's body lay in cold storage last week in a Nairobi mortuary, the legal battle raged over whether the lawyer should receive a traditional Luo tribal burial at his ancestral homeland near Lake Victoria or a Christian interment outside Nairobi. His widow Wambui Otieno initially feared she would be made to shave her head and marry Otieno's younger brother if the burial were held according to Luo custom. While her qualms now appear unfounded, she continues to insist that Luo tribal laws are "out of step with civilization."

When a judge ruled in the tribe's favor in February, Wambui Otieno obtained an order blocking the burial pending an appeal this month. Wangari Mathai, chairman of Kenya's National Council of Women, last week gathered signatures for a petition that calls on parliament to safeguard the rights of surviving spouses.