Episcopal Press and News

Cremation of Former Archbishop's Wife Leads to Debate in Kenyan Church

Episcopal News Service. July 30, 2002 [2002-186-3]

The cremation of the wife of the former Anglican archbishop of Kenya has sparked a debate about the practice in a country where it is believed only two other Africans have been cremated in the past 20 years.

Mary Kuria, the wife of former Archbishop Manasses Kuria, died on July 6 at age 73 and was cremated at a private family ceremony two days later. The news of the cremation came as a surprise to mourners who gathered at Nairobi's Anglican All Saint's Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving for Kuria's life. There were gasps of astonishment when they were told that she had already been cremated, the East African Standard reported. They had expected that the service at the cathedral would be followed by a burial. Kuria's son-in-law, Maurice Murimi, said, 'It was not the family's decision but the express choice of our mother.'

The decision has led to a debate in the church about the practice of cremation. Many Kenyans have strong objections to cremation, which they do not believe is in accordance with African traditions. The issue is now to be taken up by the synod of the Anglican Church in Kenya.

Anglican Bishop Peter Njenga, who spoke at the thanksgiving service on July 8, defended the cremation. 'I think the big problem with cremation is that people believe cremation subjects the body to torture,' he told ENI. 'In Kenya, land for burial is growing scarcer by the day, and whatever remains is being grabbed left and right by unscrupulous individuals. It would be a good idea for Kenyans to think about cremation at this juncture.'

He conceded that after the service Christians told him they had not been given a chance to discuss the issue and had insisted that the practice of cremation was a 'foreign concept.' It is believed that Kuria is only the third Kenyan African to have been cremated in the past two decades. But Njenga told ENI he was hopeful more Kenyans would eventually accept the practice. The current archbishop of Kenya, Archbishop David Gitari, said that his church was 'not averse' to decisions taken by families to cremate or requests expressed in an individual's will.