Paul Magu, his wife Lydia and their three children were buried on Tuesday afternoon. In life they shared prayers, meals and tears of joy and pain. To residents of Kiganjo in Ruiru, this was a picture-perfect family that had a good roof over their head. Finally, when the family members took the final bow, under a small canopy, they were destined to share their final resting place together, one big mass grave.

The five sparkling caskets lined up under the miniature tent, shielded from the element, marked one of the most saddening ways to depart this world. However, this is the sight that greeted thousands of mourners who turned up to pay their last respects to the family of lawyer. Mourners succumbed to their emotions during the burial that took place in their rural home in Kimuchu village, Juja. There was no viewing of the bodies as they had decomposed.

The late lawyer’s mother, Ms. Keziah Wambui, stared at the unfolding events, transfixed, tongue-tied and unable to comprehend the tragedy which had just struck. Her only hope, when she managed to mouth off a few words was her ardent prayer that somehow, the truth would come out and justice meted to whoever had done this.

No words would describe what had happened to her grandchildren Allen, 9, Ryan, 8, and Tiffany, 5, whose badly mutilated bodies were discovered, dismembered and discarded in a thicket at Tatu coffee farm in Ruiru, a week after they were reported missing.

Emotions ran high and tears flowed freely as relatives, friends and locals gathered to bid farewell to the young family that died in mysterious circumstances. The sombre mood was captured by pupils of Garden Estate Academy, where Paul Magu three children went to school, who presented an emotional song to bid their colleagues goodbye. Homicide detectives are currently carrying out investigations into the murder and suicide.