No night vigil for fans of Ohangla musician Lady Maureen

The body of Ohangla musician Maureen Achieng has not been moved from the mortuary to her home for an overnight vigil ahead of the burial on Saturday.

Lady Maureen’s body was to be transferred from Ojele Memorial Hospital mortuary to Kopanga village earlier on Friday.

But large crowds gathered at the morgue and at her home to pay their last respects, raising concerns about security and health amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It was said that some of her fans turned rowdy forcing the family and other parties to take precautions.

Family spokesperson and Lady Maureen’s brother Charles Ochieng said the body will be transported to their home early on Saturday.

“We made abrupt changes to the initial plans after we were told that taking the body home would pose a health risk to mourners who had already crowded the place,” he said.

Migori municipal board chairman Joseph Nyambiri told the Nation that they needed to “contain an influx of visitors that would have have posed a health hazard”.

"Security has been deployed to help control mourners who are still arriving in droves,” he added.

LAST RESPECTS

Family members led by Lady Maureen’s mother Margaret Awino, friends, fans and other musicians thronged the morgue to view the body of the musician who died last Saturday.

 Among them were seasoned Benga musician Princess Jully and Ohangla musicians Osogo Winyo, Elisha toto and Musa Jakadala, who eulogised Lady Maureen “an ardent artiste who thrived in a male-dominated genre.”

Mourners who spoke to the Nation said they were disappointed by the turn of events.

“We travelled all the way from Nairobi to console the family and dance to her songs ahead of her sendoff,” said Claire Achieng, one of the mourners.