Kenyan content creator Lynda Kebati has opened up about a painful family confrontation that unfolded during the burial of her late father, Bosco Kebati.
Speaking during the burial ceremony, Lynda questioned what she described as the exclusion of her mother, Angelica Akinyi, and their side of the family from key aspects of the funeral arrangements.
The content creator expressed frustration over what she said had happened in the days leading up to the burial, questioning why her family had not been adequately involved despite their relationship with the deceased.
“No relative on this side has ever called us and told us, ‘we are sorry for losing your dad; we’re sorry, Mama Lynda, for losing your husband.’ Shame on you!” she said.
Lynda claimed that her mother was not properly included in the funeral arrangements and that their family was left out of important decisions surrounding the burial.
“Even the entire process of organising this, we were never included,” she said.
She also claimed that she was denied opportunities to participate in moments she considered important in honouring her father, including seeing his body at the morgue.
Lynda further alleged that her family was not adequately involved in preparing the funeral programme and that their names were incorrectly written.
The emotional confrontation came as she spoke about the difficulty of mourning her father while also dealing with what she perceived as rejection from his other family.
In concluding her speech, Lynda said she could no longer pretend to love or maintain a relationship with her father’s side of the family.
She, however, expressed relief that her father had finally been laid to rest, suggesting that the events surrounding his burial had permanently changed her relationship with that side of the family.
Her decision to address the family dispute publicly during the burial sparked debate online, with social-media users divided over whether such disagreements should be discussed during a funeral or kept private in the interest of peace.
Some users praised Lynda for openly expressing her frustrations.
“First family are hypocrites. According to their talks, they knew what they had done to the second family, but Lynda nailed it,” @kizziakuria wrote.
Others focused on the complexities that can arise in polygamous families and argued that the circumstances should be viewed from both sides.
One user, @Ms_mwiks, claimed that Lynda’s family had spent many years with their father before he was eventually returned to his first family when he became seriously ill.
“This is a second family. Walichukua baba yao from 1st family for 28 years. After he retired and got sick, they returned him home akiwa hawezi, anatumia pampers,” the user wrote.
The user questioned whether the first family had also been affected by being separated from their father for nearly three decades, arguing that they had missed out on his love, provision and protection during that period.
Lynda has publicly shared her account of the events surrounding her father’s burial. However, the allegations concerning her exclusion remain claims, and the published account does not include a detailed response from the relatives she accused.