Fresh details have emerged surrounding the burial plans of late gospel singer Rachael Wandeto, with tension reportedly growing between her maternal family and her husband over who should take charge of her final send-off.
Rachael Wandeto, who recently attracted national attention after publicly displaying tattoos linked to President William Ruto, died after suffering severe burns during a petrol attack in Mwiki, Nairobi.
However, even before her burial, disagreements have now surfaced between the two families, with reports indicating that her husband has allegedly been denied the right to bury her despite living together for 14 years and raising three children together.
According to family members from the husband’s side, the dispute began after Rachael’s relatives insisted that she should be buried at her father’s home in Kirinyaga County instead of her matrimonial home.
Speaking during an interview with Paxson TV, a sister to Rachael’s widower painfully revealed that her brother had been sidelined during burial discussions despite standing with the late singer throughout her life and during her final days in hospital.
The family claims the husband, identified as Peter Njaramba, was blocked from leading the burial arrangements because he allegedly had not completed all traditional dowry requirements demanded by Rachael’s family.
According to the widower’s sister, the explanation has deeply hurt their family because Peter and Rachael had lived together as husband and wife for many years and had built a family together.
“They stayed together for 14 years and they have three children together.
It is painful that after all those years, he is now being told he cannot bury his wife because of dowry issues,” she said emotionally.
She added that Peter remained loyal to Rachael and supported her throughout the difficult moments following the petrol attack that eventually claimed her life.
The woman also revealed that the children are still traumatised by the death of their mother and continue asking questions about when she will return home.
“These children are suffering emotionally. One of them keeps asking when their mother is coming back. It is heartbreaking because they still do not fully understand what happened,” she explained.
She further claimed that members of Rachael’s family had not visited the children since the singer’s death, something she said had caused additional pain to the grieving family.