A group of church members who came together to support what they believed was a grieving father in Meru were left stunned after allegedly discovering that the child they had contributed money to bury was alive and playing at home.
The bizarre incident has sparked outrage after a man was accused of fabricating his child’s death to solicit funeral contributions from unsuspecting well-wishers, reportedly collecting KSh20,000 in the process.
Irene Daniel exposed the alleged deception in a Facebook post, narrating how the group had been drawn into a fundraising effort after being informed that the man’s child had died.
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Moved by the purported tragedy, the church members reportedly mobilised money to help the family organise the burial, including purchasing a coffin and settling other funeral expenses.
But what initially appeared to be an ordinary act of Christian generosity allegedly turned into an elaborate deception.
According to Irene, on the morning of the scheduled burial on Friday, the man called to inform them that they had not left home because they lacked sufficient money to pay for a vehicle to transport the body.
The explanation prompted the contributors to send additional cash to help clear the outstanding transport expenses.
Photo credit: Facebook/Irene Daniel
Having made the journey to Meru, the group expected to meet the bereaved father and proceed with the burial arrangements.
However, upon arrival, the man reportedly asked them to give him ten minutes, promising to return shortly.
He allegedly switched off his phone moments later, leaving the visitors stranded and raising suspicion about the entire arrangement.
Determined to establish what had happened, the group decided to visit the mortuary where they had been told the child’s body was being preserved.
Their visit reportedly yielded a shocking discovery: there was allegedly no record of the child’s body or even a booking under the name they had been given.
The visitors then proceeded to the family home where the burial was supposedly scheduled to take place.
What they encountered left them even more bewildered.
Instead of finding a family preparing to bury a child, they reportedly found people going about their normal activities.
In an even more astonishing twist, the child they had travelled to bury was allegedly found alive, playing with other children at the homestead.
Irene expressed disbelief at the incident, warning about people who exploit the kindness and generosity of others for personal gain.
The alleged incident has reignited conversations about the abuse of funeral fundraising appeals, which are common in Kenya, where churches and communities routinely mobilise financial support for bereaved families.
For the contributors, what began as an attempt to stand with a family during a difficult moment allegedly ended in a shocking discovery that has raised serious questions about trust, compassion and the exploitation of goodwill.
The allegations had not been independently verified by Channel 15 News at the time of publication. The man accused had also not publicly responded to the claims.
