Mourners in Kisumu refill Abenny Jachiga’s grave, say they ‘haven’t been given enough time’ to mourn

Hundreds of mourners protested Kisumu County’s move to bury musician Abenny Jachiga within 24 hours after his death in compliance with Ministry of Health directive.

The mourners, who had flocked to the late artiste’s home in Kolwa
East Ward, Chiga Location, Kisumu County, refilled a grave that had been dug by
the county health officers in preparation of Abenny’s burial later Friday, June
12.

A section of the mourners, who spoke to K24 Digital, said they “hadn’t been given enough time to mourn
their beloved chartbuster”.

“Abenny Jachiga was not any other person, he was a musician
who united all of us. We cannot allow him to be buried within 24 hours after
his death,” said one of the grievers.

Abenny Jachiga’s remains were transported from Port Florence
Community Hospital morgue to his Kolwa East home in a police van on Friday
morning as hundreds of boda boda operators escorted his body while chanting
dirges.

On May 28, Kisumu Governor Prof. Peter Anyang Nyong’o
directed that the removal of bodies from mortuaries across the county would be
done not later than 9.30am and buried within six hours.

It is that directive that the mourners have now vowed to
defy, even going ahead to refill the late heavy-hitter’s grave and demanding
they be given at least one week to mourn their loved one.

Abenny Jachiga, a popular Ohangla musician whose real name
is Bernard Obonyo, succumbed to pneumonia at 2am on Thursday, June 11 at St.
Jairus Hospital in Kisumu, his close friend and Kisumu’s Kolwa East Ward MCA
Steve Owiti told K24 Digital.

The Mano Kasinde
hit-maker was taken to the hospital in critical condition on Tuesday, June 9
after developing breathing complications at his home in Chiga, Kisumu East.

Prior to his hospitalisation at St. Jairus Hospital, which
is located on the Kisumu-Busia Road, Jachiga, had a few days ago, been admitted
at the Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu, where he was treated and discharged.

The musician is survived by a widow and two children (a son
who is in Class Three, and a daughter who is in Class Four).

Jachiga has died aged 33.

Abenny Jachiga is known for the Luo song Mano Kasinde which is a corrupted word
borrowed from English language to mean “her cousin”. In the song, the artiste
sings that a section of women nowadays often dupe men by claiming every man
they are flirting with is their cousin. The music composition, which was
uploaded to YouTube on May 30, 2018, has since garnered over 1.25 million
views.

His other songs include: Penzi
ni Kama Yai, Maraga Odagi, Nancy Nyar Ugenya, Ayaye, among others.