• Francis Atwoli, the COTU Secretary General, revealed his daughter-in-law Alifariki died at 11pm on September 10
  • Atwoli disclosed that Alifariki had left a will requesting to be cremated, a wish that caught the family off guard
  • The labour boss admitted the family struggled to come to terms with the cremation request, sharing a deeply personal reaction

Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General francis Atwoli has shared running away as his Indian friend was being cremated and now has to face his daughter-in-law's cremation.

Atwoli publicly mourned the death of his daughter-in-law, wife to his elder son and prominent psychiatrist Lukoye Atwoli, revealing that she passed away at 11pm.

Speaking in an emotional video that has since circulated widely on social media, Atwoli disclosed the loss in his characteristically candid manner, telling viewersjk that his son's wife had died the previous night.

Alifariki's Cremation Wish Stirs Deep Emotion

What made the revelation particularly poignant was Atwoli's disclosure that his daughter-in-law had left behind a will expressing her wish to be cremated, a decision that left the family visibly shaken. The COTU boss said his son came to him with the news of the will, and the request stirred considerable emotion within the family.

"My daughter-in-law had written a will that she wants to be cremated," Atwoli recounted his son telling him. The cremation would go ahead, but not without soul-searching from the family elders, including Atwoli himself, who said neither he, his mother, nor other relatives had ever been cremated.

"No, you know this is a will, but why didn't you prepare us before she died? She was so nice a girl to us," Atwoli said, capturing the family's sense of being caught off guard by the request, despite their deep respect for Alifariki.

Atwoli Recalls Painful Memory From Kisumu

To explain the depth of his discomfort, Atwoli reached back to a memory from a funeral in Kisumu, where he had witnessed a cremation take place and found himself unable to remain.

"I went there, and they were placing firewood. They told me the head was about to make noise. I got into the car and ran away," he said. "So I cannot start watching that person I love being cremated."

Despite his personal struggles with the idea, Atwoli said he was making peace with the decision out of respect for his late daughter-in-law's wishes.

"I'm trying to come to terms with it because maybe we will be fine," he added.

Lukoye Atwoli is one of Kenya's most recognised psychiatrists and a prominent public voice on mental health matters. His father Francis Atwoli has led COTU for decades and remains one of the country's most outspoken labour leaders.