It is a mystery that will remain unanswered for many weeks, months or years to come.
That was a burial of 15 street children who reportedly died under unclear circumstances, their ages ranging between 2-months-old and the oldest approximately 35.
Unlike other funerals that are considered ‘decent’, street families do it differently; no one wears suits, in fact some of them arrived at the City mortuary barefooted.
Each knew January 29, 2026 was a big day, to pay last respects to their friends who they met on the streets and dumping sites as they foraged for something valuable to sell or to quell the hungerpangs.
They arrived in matatus carrying caskets tied on top; disembarked and marched into the city mortuary to collect the bodies, nothing seemed organised.
Afterwards, they laid the uniform caskets outside the morgue shortly for the mourners to pay their last respects before proceeding to Lang’ta cemetery.
Earlier there were contradictions about how the street urchins died; there was a message indicating that they died under unclear circumstances in various parts of the city.
However, Peter Wanjiru, Streets Children coordinator said their fallen friends died of pneumonia and malnutrition, while others were attacked by criminals at night.
At the cemetery, there was no funeral service, dirges or photo sessions; prayers led by David Maina of PEFA Lang’ata lasted about three minutes before the bodies were lowered into the shallow graves.
The event was organized by Kagure foundation catering for the caskets and other costs including transportation from Mama Lucy and Nairobi Funeral home to the Lang’ata cemetery.
“We decided to take the mass graves because it is expensive to buy the spaces at Lang’ata cemetery. Based on the autopsy results, most of them die due to malnutrition because they have nothing to eat,” said Agnes Kagure who runs the foundation
