- A memorial service for Charles Wangari in Laikipia, Kenya, honored his life without a body after he died in Russia, where he was fighting for the country against Ukraine
- The family heard of the early death and bitterly mourned the lost future, faced with the reality of war that refuses closure to loved ones.
- Opinion was divided on the absence of a coffin reflecting the emotional impact of the war on the family, but many wished the family had a chance to see him one last time.
Laikipia, Kenya: The family of Charles Wangari, a former Kubali FC player who died after being drafted into the Russian army to fight against Ukrainehas finally held its memorial service without a body.
Source: Facebook
Tears flowed freely as his family, teammates and community members heard of his death and mourned a future that would never be fulfilled.
When Wangari first died, his family shared his funeral arrangements, and that’s when they informed the public that their service would be incorporeal.
“Despite the situation, we have chosen to honor his life. Although his body will not be returned to Kenya, the family has prepared a *burden of honor*, because Charles deserves respect in death, and the family deserves closure,” said the family.
Today, February 5, in the village of Kinuri, Rugi Ward, Mukurweini, a memorial was held, and the silence was greater than the prayer.
Charles was killed in Russia on Christmas Day, and his body was never brought home; you are still out there, swallowed up by a foreign battlefield, an inaccessible, undiscovered, nameless soil.
Source: Facebook
How is Charles’ family affected emotionally?
“No casket, no last look, no last goodbye, just pictures, candles, and a family forced to mourn where the body should have been,” it shared. This is Laikipia’s Facebook page.
“This is the brutal part that people don’t talk about; war doesn’t just kill, it refuses to be closed. Parents bury hope instead of son, mothers cry for memories, not remains. Families perform rituals intended for the body that never arrived,” read another section.
In photos shared online, friends, family and villagers are seen under tents as the ceremony continues, and the seat where the body is usually kept is empty.
Opinions are divided on whether it should be kept there or not, as its presence was a poignant reminder of what happened to the family.
“Let this memorial be a warning written with tears: some journeys do not end with a flight back home, they end with a name read in the village, while your body is left behind in a war that was never yours,” said this Laikipia sister.
How did other Kenyans feel?
Yego KM Weapons:
“Don’t discourage anyone..let a desperate person go and hunt an elephant. If he kills an elephant, poverty ends. If an elephant kills an elephant, poverty ends too..in any case, poverty ends.”
Bryony Aust
“This has really touched me. I am in England and I have been visiting Kenya for many years and I have many friends there, some in difficult situations, so I have a strong connection with Kenya. Also, we have been hosting a refugee from Ukraine since 2022 so we have seen their side of the war. For Russia to influence and recruit Kenyans and other nations to fight them in war, it shows what bad steps they will take. Charles RIP”
Peter Waller:
Saad.”
Esther Wamuyu:
“Woooiye our neighbours, RIP Charlo wa Bibiana, for Wajuma.”
Joy Kamsoo:
“Imagine it is very painful but they will not be satisfied.”
Lydia Munya
“I have heard goosebumps all over my body may his soul rest in peace.”
5 Kenyans who died in Russia
In other news, five Kenyans were confirmed dead after being recruited to serve in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
It turned out that they were lured by promises of civilian jobs, but when they arrived, they were drafted into the Russian army and sent to the hot war zones.
TUKO.co.ke shared the stories of five Kenyan families who sadly lost their loved ones on the battlefield.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
