A Kenyan family is raising questions over the mysterious death of their daughter in the Netherlands.
32-year-old Mercy Wanjiku Muthui, a musician, was found dead in a ditch near the back garden of their house in Jagerskreek, Netherlands.
Her body was found after her German husband, Daniel Erhardt reported that she was missing.
Police in the European country detained Erhardt for three days, as they investigated whether Wanjiku’s death was a crime, a fatal accident or suicide. He was later released.
However, her family who lives in Jericho estate in Nairobi are questioning Erhardt’s decision to cremate Wanjiku’s remains despite their disapproval.
The family says it learned of her death on January 13th through a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
They were told that Erhardt had reported to the police that Wanjiku committed suicide by drowning in the ditch.
Wanjku’s sister, Bilha Muthui says they suspect foul play in the death of the 32-year-old.
“According to the media, Mr. Erhardt had reported to the police that her wife was not in bed next to him when he woke up and appeared as if she was not at home. But it just took the police a few minutes of search before her body was found at the ditch,” She says
Erhardt called the family to inform them he was unable to raise Sh1.2 million to airlift Wanjiku’s remains to Kenya for burial.
Last Wednesday, the German texted the family saying he had decided to cremate Wanjiku’s body as a cheaper way of disposal.
The family was opposed to cremation and informed Erhardt that they would send someone to help him in shipment plans, but he was unwilling to cooperate.
“He said he would cremate her on Friday, the same day we were to hold a memorial for her at Jericho Church. We told him that our customs and beliefs as Christians were not in tandem with cremation, but he said he does not care how we feel and it was our problem to deal with,” Ms. Muthui says.
The family sought the intervention of Kenya’s ambassador to the Netherlands but got no help.
“The response was that Mr. Edhardt was now Wanjiku’s next of kin and that whatever he decided would be respected,” she says.
Wanjiku moved to the Netherlands in 2017 after marrying Erhardt in a colorful wedding ceremony held in Nairobi on August 3rd, 2016. The two had a five-month-old son.
Seems like he killed her.
Seems like he killed her.
What Kenyans are missing…
What Kenyans are missing here is that police in Europe can’t be bribed. They will have investigated thoroughly and obviously found no foul play. You note too that he couldn’t raise fare to return her body home which he told to the family (your mistaken belief that all wazungu are rich comes into play here). Demanding for her return should have been accompanied by a large bank transfer to him if it were that important. Don’t judge foreign spouses by Kenyan standards. Cremation is seen as a cleanerand more eco friendly way of disposing of the deceased and is certainly not cheap. Did the family contribute anyway? I doubt it.One last thing, she might have had post partum depression which led to suicide. Its very common. So don’t judge this man because all the circumstances are not known.
I suspect foul play as well,…
I suspect foul play as well, how can an adult drown in a small ditch? Secondly, every Kenyan married to a foreigner must understand that certain rights and duties exist regarding the burial and disposal of the spouse’s body. Upon the death of a married person, the surviving spouse has the paramount right as to the custody of the remains of the deceased and its burial unless the deceased had a legal Will expressing her wishes. So legally, there is nothing this Kenyan family can do, the husband had all legal right as painful as it sounds. So, people should take note and draft a legal WILL.
Unapoolewa na mwanamume wa…
Unapoolewa na mwanamume wa asili ya Yuropa au kumwoa mwanamke wa asili ya Yuropa au mwanamume/mwanamume aliyechukua mila za Wanayuropa, wewe huwa maiti. Wanayuropa hawaheshimu mila, lugha, imani ya mtu mwingine ambaye si mwanayuropa.
Ningependa kuwashauri wanaume na pia wanawake wa asili ya Kiafrika kuachana kabisa na mambo yanayohusiana na ndoa na Wanayuropa.
Isitoshe, mwanayuropa siyo rangi au lugha tu! Mwanamume au mwanamke anayedhamini (value) kila kitu cha Wanayuropa (lugha, dini, mila) ni MWANAYUROPA hata ingawa ni Mwafrika kwa damu. Ukimwoa au kuolewa na mtu kama huyu, ni lazima ujue ya kwamba, Umemwoa/umeolewa na Mwanayuropa. Kama huniamini, jaribu halafu, Utaona cha mtema kuni!
Her husband is her next of…
Her husband is her next of kin and has a legal right to cremate despite the family’s objection.
To Kenyans with relatives are married to people from other lands – get used to the idea that when they die, chances are they won’t be buried in Kenya and you won’t have any say about it.
Kenyan family should…
Kenyan family should understand this guy’s decision since the deceased chose him as her next of kin..also u never know the pain he is going through.. anyway R.I.P Wanjiku
@imaradaima very true what u…
@imaradaima very true what u have written.Many if we blacks think getting married to mzungu ati umefika ama wewe nindongiraa yaani rich person n we know them actually they r poor n poorer than us.Married in 2017 n now she is dead??Hizi zilikuwa papers.But also i support what guys have written here ati once ur married to anybody that person has all the rights to either crimate you,put you in museums or apeane mwili wako to urniversitys ndio wanafunzi wasomee nayo.But realistically marry yr own color or yr own tribe if u can unless ur ready to follow each other different tribes cultures.
Jamani, si Wanayuropa peke…
Jamani, si Wanayuropa peke yao tu wanaowaharibia wasichana wetu maisha yao, hata ndugu zetu kutoka nchi ya Uchina wamejiunga na tabia hii ya ajabu ya kuyaharibu maisha ya wasichana wetu wa Kenya.
Vidiyo klipu ifuatayo inaonyesha jinsi msichana Mkenya anavyotekesa kumlea mtoto baada ya babaye Mchina kamtoroka na bila msaada wa pesa za kumlisha mtoto aliyezaa naye.
https://youtu.be/bztNoEypJG0
Wanjiku Muthui RIP. It is…
Wanjiku Muthui RIP. It is good to learn how blacks are treated all over the world. Blacks have dominant genes. Any mixture of black and anything else, the children come out black and the other race is wiped out ( or blackened and this is by God’s own design). This happens whether you marry White, Chinese, Indian, or Brown. For this, the attitude towards all blacks is hatred. When you marry outside of your race, this attitude does not change. Learn how blacks are treated in any country that you decide to get married to and especially the European and Arab nations where they have long history of slavery and of lynching blacks. Africans must know as they suffered colonialism, so did their black brothers suffer slavery at the hands of Arabs, Whites and Jews. This is the history we need to learn. Knowledge is power. When you marry a European person, you don’t become white. In their eyes, you remain black and as disposable as a slave, a monkey or as one from a shit-hole hole country. If you want to remain sane embrace, love and marry from your own kind (black). If you marry outside your race, do not complain about strange customs because that is what you loved and embraced. You must love those strange customs all the way to the grave.
Very nice commentary…
Very nice commentary Anonymous UI
Have you travelled Anonymous…
Have you travelled Anonymous? Or are you spitting hatred out of ignorance? Your seemingly inability to understand different cultures and traditions suggests you are uneducated in the ways of the world, particularly with regard to matters of slavery. Every race has been enslaved at some point. Concentrating on maligning every race but your own is skewed thinking. If all foreigners are so bad, why do Africans flock to those countries – even risking drowning to do so? Start reading history to see how wrong your assumptions are.
You explained it the best…
You explained it the best way.
Wanjiku Muthui RIP. It is…
Wanjiku Muthui RIP. It is good to learn how blacks are treated all over the world. Blacks have dominant genes. Any mixture of black and anything else, the children come out black and the other race is wiped out ( or blackened and this is by God’s own design). This happens whether you marry White, Chinese, Indian, or Brown. For this, the attitude towards all blacks is hatred. When you marry outside of your race, this attitude does not change. Learn how blacks are treated in any country that you decide to get married to and especially the European and Arab nations where they have long history of slavery and of lynching blacks. Africans must know as they suffered colonialism, so did their black brothers suffer slavery at the hands of Arabs, Whites and Jews. This is the history we need to learn. Knowledge is power. When you marry a European person, you don’t become white. In their eyes, you remain black and as disposable as a slave, a monkey or as one from a shit-hole hole country. If you want to remain sane embrace, love and marry from your own kind (black). If you marry outside your race, do not complain about strange customs because that is what you loved and embraced. You must love those strange customs all the way to the grave.
The results of interracial…
The results of interracial relationships between black people and white people results to death. Love and procreate among yourselves if you need to preserve your existence. Mixing with a group of people with more than 6000 genetic malfunctions only weakens your genes.
Life Insurance ya bibi yake…
Life Insurance ya bibi yake atapata.
I bet he will return to…
I bet he will return to Kenya in a year or two to fetch another unsuspecting victim. If only the family was able to put some Interpol thing so whenever and wherever in Africa he comes just haul him in jail for the suspicious death of that woman. But I doubt that would happened, and two they could put a social media campaign on that man with his pictureyes. Imagine how I suiting it must be to the families of the woman, not only they could not bury their daughter, she was cremated so it’s like he did not even allow her to be absorbed back by nature. Something is fishy.