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Meru man who predicted his death last year succumbs to Covid-19

Personnel dressed in gear to prevent the spread of Covid-19 are pictured burying Kebs Inspection Officer Juma Kaiburi Baitairi at Antuanthenge village, Meru County, on August 21, 2020.

Photo credit: Charles Wanyoro | Nation Media Group

By  Charles Wanyoro

What you need to know:

  • Juma Kaiburi Baitairi (Abdulmalik) died on August 18, when he would have turned 32, and was buried on August 21 in Antuanthenge village, Meru County.
  • Kaiburi’s friend Jurgen Murungi, who was the master of ceremony at his burial, said his premonition shocked many.

A Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) inspection officer who predicted last year that he would die in August has succumbed to the coronavirus.

Juma Kaiburi Baitairi (Abdulmalik) died on August 18, when he would have turned 32, and was buried on August 21 in Antuanthenge village, Meru County.

On August 1, 2019, he wrote on social media, “August means a lot to me. It’s the month I was born,the month I (was circumcised)… It’s the month I joined university … Probably the month I will die. Who knows? Hail the month of the King.”

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Kaiburi’s friend Jurgen Murungi, who was the master of ceremony at his burial, said his premonition shocked many.

“Even the Sheikh who conducted the funeral mentioned it. It was prophetic but people did not take it seriously until it happened. Juma was larger than life, straightforward and forthright.”

Eulogy

A popular figure in social circles, Kaiburi kept his followers on social media entertained with witty posts and was particularly proud of his Ameru culture.

His obituary in the Daily Nation described the father of two as a “committed scholar, diligent worker, humorous and a satirist of social and political commentary”.

“He was the glue which united many,” it stated.

About 200 mourners attended the funeral supervised by Tigania Central Sub-county administrators and Public Health Officer Ann Mwari.

Ankamia Chief Benjamin Kaigela urged residents to strictly adhere to the Health ministry’s guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus.

“This is the first burial of a Covid-19 patient in the sub-county so residents should be extra-careful. There are revelers who are going to illicit brew dens, which are unsanitary, and some people are still congregating in markets and other social places,” he said.

Mr Juma is survived by his wife Lydiah Nkirote and two children.

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