A 77-year-old businessman who prepared his own gravesite together with that of his wife in 2000 was on Saturday granted his wish and laid to rest at his Milimani home in Isiolo county.

Samson Mwongera had also prepared his eulogy and that of his wife in preparation for his send-off.

His widow, Eunice Mwongera said her late husband called elders and informed them of the decision.

"The elders rejected and said that he ought to be buried in Kibirichia he agreed but later he called them again and insisted on his decision and the elders finally agreed and he was very happy the next day he called a mason who worked on the structure," he said.

She said after the 40th anniversary for their wedding at there home he called all his children and showed them where he will be buried.

She said the children cried but he did not reverse his decision.

She said that they had written eulogies and even printed and children were shocked when I told them that during the funeral announcements.

Mwongera younger brother Gilfred Murithi said Mwongera was the firstborn in the family of six said they were opposed to Mwongera plans and wanted him to be laid to rest in Kibirichia but later agreed with the decision.

"I asked him if he wanted to be like Martin Shikuku and he told me yes. It is against Meru tradition for one to dig their own graves and if one does so he was forced to be fined a white sheep by the elders but now times have changed and we did not fine Mwongera," Murithi said.

His son Munene Mwongera, said his late father prepared his own grave in 2000. He also prepared his eulogy in 2003.

“He had just retired from his workstation at the Isiolo Law Courts, he was diagnosed with diabetes and that is when he decided to prepare for his send-off,” he said.

He, however, said that the disease did not trouble his father much.

Munene said after he prepared his grave his father called the family and said he wanted to rest there and the family did not object.

“He had prepared us on what to do and how to share property in case he died. He prepared his eulogy in 2003, he prepared the tribute he will read to our mother in case she died before him and asked our mother to also write the tribute he will read in case he died first,” he said.

Munene said that the ailment might not have mostly contributed to the bizarre decision by his father.

“He used to tell us that life is a journey and a person might die any moment it is just like a Matatu if you reach your destination you alight and another person boards. He said he does not know where he will alight but if he died he should be rested at the graveside he had decided to avoid arguments on where he would be buried,” he said.

He said his father said instructed that when both of them (Father and Mother) are laid to rest there they should build a stone-like structure on top and write there eulogy and tributes and anything else we want to write.

The grave was constructed like a wardrobe to the effect that whoever dies first between the two would be buried at the base, and a concrete slab used to cover it in order to create room for the spouse to be buried on top when they finally die and a house constructed.

Munene said his dad was hardworking and lived a good life despite his uniqueness in the send-off.

He said at first they were shocked with the incident but later came to terms with his decision.

“he gave us examples of his friends who have died and we accepted his decision,” he said.

He hailed his father’s decision and said he will follow his footsteps as it had made it easy for the family to conduct the funeral.

The late was granted his wishes despite some varying opinion from some family quarters that he ought to be buried at his late father’s farm in Kibiricha- Meru County.

-The Star