Kenya Stockholm Blog

Sunday: Keegan Committee Chairman thanksed Kenyans

The Keegan Funeral Committee has completed its job. According to a schedule availed to KSB, Keegan’s body will arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Monday, 30th December 2013. At a final Committee meeting held at Keegan’s residence where the Committee was dissolved, Sofia Njoroge, the Treasurer, gave a run-down of the Financial Report which was adopted by the Committee. The Keegan family was represented at the meeting by Keegan’s two daughters, their mother and their grandmother.

According to the Report which was availed to KSB, a total of SEK 75,0000 was raised by Kenyans, friends, well-wishers and sympathizers during the period when the funds drive was in progress. After all expenses were deducted (Bankrolling et al at SEK 9,000), the final figure stood at SEK 66.000. Out of this amount, SEK 45,000 was paid to the transport agency that is transporting Keegan’s body to Kenya, leaving a balance of SEK 21,000. Out of this amount, SEK 6,000 went towards Mama Keegan’s ticket. For the Committee, mama Keegan’s ticket was a top priority because whatever the case, she had to be present at her son’s burial. This left a balance of SEK 16,000.

The meeting observed that since the family, led by Mama Keegan, would incur expenses in Kenya (transportation, mortuary charges, grave digging, food, watu wa mkono and other related funeral expenses) these expenses needed to be factored in and catered for as a matter of routine. The argument was that it was improper to abandon Mama Keegan (an old pensioned mom in deep mourning after losing her dear and beloved son) with the body in Nairobi without any money to finance over-head expenses at home.  Consequently, the meeting decided that Mama Keegan would be advanced SEK 5,000 to help her cope with any urgent and necessary expenses once the body arrived in Kenya. After this deduction, the ensuing balance stood at SEK 11,000.

At Keegan’s residence, mourners have constantly been fed (free of charge) during “Open House” sessions since Keegan passed away. There is a young cute girl who was so much touched by Keegan’s death that she voluntarily offered to buy food with her own resources, cook and serve all mourners with diligence. As mourners filled their stomachs and licked their soup-coated fingers gleefully, they had no idea where the food was coming from. Many mourners who have been frequenting Keegan’s residence to show solidarity with the bereaved family will, no doubt, remember the constant supply of fried beef served with rice and kachumbari, the huge mounds of ugali, steaming nyama choma, fresh and fried si-kuma wiki, irio, waru, githeri, mokimo, ngwachu aka rabuon and other traditional Kikuyu delicacies that found their way on the menu as Kenyans from all walks of life mourned the departed Keegan. As a gesture of “Thank You”, the Committee decided to advance SEK 1,000 to the girl who has been behind the food and to wish her well. The Committee observed that the amount could not fully compensate her services and expenses but hoped that God would continue to bless her abundantly.

The food payment left the Committee with SEK 10,000. According to the original strategy, money raised was for tickets for Keegan’s two daughters, body transportation cost and a ticket for Keegan’s mother. After weighing all options, the Committee decided to advance the balance of the SEK 10,000 to Keegan’s two daughters to help them purchase tickets to Kenya. The Committee observed that the price of tickets continued to fluctuate but hoped that the money would make a big difference to enable the two daughters travel to Kenya to attend their father’s funeral. At the time of the meeting, a return ticket was going for SEK 4.800 but the figure was expected to climb upwards with time. After this decision was reached, SEK 10,000 was handed over to the daughters (who were present at the meeting together with their mother) and this payment sealed the budget for the SEK 75,000 that had been raised by the Committee. The meeting was also attended by Dick Kamau, a Kenyan-Stockholmer who had relocated to Kenya, as an observer. Dick had played a big role in Keegan’s life when he used to reside in Stockholm and his presence at the meeting was not accidental.

Keegan Funeral Committee in Stockholm Dissolved
In the spirit of transparency and accountability, the family was handed over the original contribution book to peruse so that in case of any discrepancies, they could report to the Committee to address any matters arising. It was agreed that once the family is done with the contribution book, the book would be returned to the Treasurer, Sofia Njoroge, for safe keeping. The meeting observed that the book would remain in the custody of the Committee for reasons of accountability. Keegan’s daughters and their mother, Rose, then left the meeting. They thanked the Committee for a work well done. After the meeting, the Committee was dissolved and the meeting ended with a word of prayer.

Since the desolation of the Committee, Keegan’s passport has been delivered to the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm together with other relevant documents and the Embassy has cleared the body for transportation to Kenya. The agency transporting the body has been paid SEK 45,000 and the body is set to arrive in Kenya on 30th December 2013. Burial is scheduled for Friday, 3rd January 2014 in Kenya.

The Committee would like to thank all Kenyans, friends well-wishers and sympathizers who contributed generously to make the Keegan Harambee a success. Specifically, the Committee would like to thank members of Club 1000 who made a very big difference in the final tally. The Committee hoped that Kenyans will continue to build Club 1000 because it has a huge potential especially during times of bereavement when families who have lost their loved ones are in distress.

The Committee wished Keegan’s family a successful trip to Kenya and hoped that the burial process will continue without any major hitch. Although the Committee had been dissolved, members of the Committee namely: Sunday (Chairman), Githuku wa Muirani (MC), Sofia Njoroge (Treasurer), Steve Kadir (Coordinator) and Okoth Osewe (Information Desk) promised to be available to help with any matters arising ahead of Keegan’s final send-off. The outgoing Committee members promised to cooperate with the Keegan family on any issue until the late Keegan is finally laid to rest in eternal peace.

Speaking to KSB soon after the dissolution of the Committee, Sandy, the Committee Chairman, said that it has been a long journey that had eventually come to an end. He appreciated the unity members of the Kenyan community and friends of Kenya had shown during the Keegan Harambee. Sunday said that he was happy that the Committee had accomplished its mission and hoped that everything would go smoothly ahead of Keegan’s burial in Kenya. He wished the family a nice trip to Kenya and hoped that the family will continue to have courage to cope with the loss of a loved family member. Lastly, Chairman Sunday wished all Kenyans a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Okoth Osewe