Woman in court to stop MP Murunga's burial

A woman has moved to court seeking to stop the burial of Matungu MP Justus Murunga until her two children and her are recognised as his family and be allowed to participate in the funeral arrangement.

In a case filed under certificate of urgency at the Milimani Law Courts, Ms Agnes Wangui Wambiri wants an order for preservation of the MP’s body pending the hearing and determination of her case.

She is also seeking for an order for collection of DNA samples from the body and the minors for comparison and ascertainment of their paternity.

Ms Wambiri says she had a relationship with the lawmaker since 2012, an affair that led to the birth of two children aged seven and three years.

She met the MP in 2012 when he was a supervisor at Embakasi Ranching while she was a businesswoman engaged in sale of beverages and snacks within Sewage area in Ruai.

“All along the deceased intimated to me that he lived at Utawala with Ms Christabel Murunga and thus around May 2016 he rented a house for me and our son in Ruai,” claims the woman in court papers lodged through lawyer Danstan Omari.

She further claims the MP used to pay their monthly rent and maintenance costs by channeling the money through M-Pesa.

However, the relationship started hitting rock bottom in 2017 upon election of Murunga to parliament.

“The deceased never wanted the public nor his family to learn of the existence of these two children, and even denied me his identification card for purposes of procuring birth certificates for the children,” she claims.

However, after several talks and mutual agreement he resumed his support but in a staggered manner. She insists the minors are biological children of the MP.

“Prior to his death, I had spoken to him on November 12, 2020 checking up on him after being discharged from hospital. He sent me Sh1300 for gas refill and later Sh4000 as maintenance costs,” Ms Wambiri claims in her court papers.

By seeking court’s intervention, the woman says she is apprehensive that there may be concerted efforts by two people she named as Christabel and Grace Murunga to deny her children and herself access and participation in the burial arrangements.

Pending hearing and determination of her application, she wants court to issue a temporary injunction restraining the two people by themselves or agents from conducting the MP’s burial, interment, cremation or disposing the remains of the MP.

She wants another order to be directed to the Lee Funeral Home restraining release of the MP’s remains pending the determination of the case.

In the alternative, Ms Wambiri wants court to order for preservation of the remains of the deceased at Lee until the DNA samples are collected in the presence of licensed pathologists appointed by both parties.

Further, she is seeking an order indicating that the minors should be at liberty to fully and unrestrictedly participate in the funeral and burial of the MP.