Lakwena body handed over to govt
THE Kenyan government finally handed over the body of former rebel leader Alice Auma Lakwena to the Uganda Government yesterday, ending two weeks of uncertainty surrounding her remains.
By Reuben Olita
in Nairobi
THE Kenyan government finally handed over the body of former rebel leader Alice Auma Lakwena to the Uganda Government yesterday, ending two weeks of uncertainty surrounding her remains.
The Uganda High Commission defence attache, Col. Bernard Rwekururu, received the body. He revealed that the remains would be flown to Uganda on Friday for burial at Vongtira village, Gulu district.
The body arrived in Nairobi at 12:30pm and was kept at the Lee Funeral home, Kenya’s most expensive mortuary. The ambulance carrying the body travelled for five hours, covering a distance of 390km from Garissa Hospital.
The body had been preserved in the hospital mortuary since the rebel chief died at Ifo refugee camp in northern Kenya on January 27. Ten members of her family accompanied the body, including her sister-in-law, Lucy Ataro.
Rwekururu said a postmortem would be carried out before the body is transported to Uganda and that the Kenya government was finalising the paperwork.
He said the Uganda government would meet all the expenses from the time the body was handed over until its arrival for burial in Gulu.
The cause of Lakwena’s death is still unknown. However, Ataro said she developed a swelling and a boil on the upper part of her leg. She later developed malaria and consulted traditional healers.
The left part of her body eventually became paralysed and she lost appetite.
Asked whether Lakwena left a will, Anek said, “No. But I can tell you that she was very jovial prior to her death.â€
in Nairobi
THE Kenyan government finally handed over the body of former rebel leader Alice Auma Lakwena to the Uganda Government yesterday, ending two weeks of uncertainty surrounding her remains.
The Uganda High Commission defence attache, Col. Bernard Rwekururu, received the body. He revealed that the remains would be flown to Uganda on Friday for burial at Vongtira village, Gulu district.
The body arrived in Nairobi at 12:30pm and was kept at the Lee Funeral home, Kenya’s most expensive mortuary. The ambulance carrying the body travelled for five hours, covering a distance of 390km from Garissa Hospital.
The body had been preserved in the hospital mortuary since the rebel chief died at Ifo refugee camp in northern Kenya on January 27. Ten members of her family accompanied the body, including her sister-in-law, Lucy Ataro.
Rwekururu said a postmortem would be carried out before the body is transported to Uganda and that the Kenya government was finalising the paperwork.
He said the Uganda government would meet all the expenses from the time the body was handed over until its arrival for burial in Gulu.
The cause of Lakwena’s death is still unknown. However, Ataro said she developed a swelling and a boil on the upper part of her leg. She later developed malaria and consulted traditional healers.
The left part of her body eventually became paralysed and she lost appetite.
Asked whether Lakwena left a will, Anek said, “No. But I can tell you that she was very jovial prior to her death.â€