The late Chief of Defence Forces, General Francis Ogolla, will be laid to rest without a coffin, in accordance with his explicit wishes.
General Ogolla’s elder brother, Canon Hezekiah Oduor, revealed that the Sunday burial ceremony will embody simplicity, mirroring the General’s desire for an unadorned farewell.
The late General Ogolla envisioned a simple ritual burial akin to Muslim practices, where he will be wrapped in sheets, a decision made to alleviate what he described as unnecessary pressure on the family.
General Ogolla’s meticulous preparations for his final rites included selecting the precise spot for his interment near his residence in Mor village, Siaya County.
Despite the simplicity of the proceedings, the family plans to uphold certain Luo rituals, merging tradition with the General’s personal preferences.
The late General’s sister, Peris Onyango, revealed that her brother was very prepared for death.
She shared that anytime he visited, he would describe to her how his burial should look like, despite her attempts to dissuade him from such thoughts.
She added that her brother consistently insisted that death is a reality, especially for soldiers like him who stare death in the face in the line of duty.
“The sudden death has thrown the entire community into a state of disarray as Ogolla was a philanthropist,” said Ms. Onyango.
She described her late brother as very generous and someone who listened to the problems affecting villagers.
“He helped the church and ensured its completion, provided a water borehole, and rewarded the schools he attended,” she said.
“That’s why when the news of his death broke yesterday, people came in numbers to mourn him because he had no boundaries.”