Relatives of the late Brian Chira were left disappointed by how his funeral went, saying he wasn’t given a proper send off.
According to two of his younger uncles, the burial was not dignified because it was taken over by TikTokers who didn’t consider what the family wanted.
“We faced many challenges growing up and we were embarrassed by some of Brian’s actions. It wasn’t what we wanted and his behaviour was unacceptable, but even today there was a lack of respect. We wanted peace but it hasn’t happened. His funeral was not dignified; TikTokers took over and it wasn’t what we wanted. We had asked certain people to stay away from the grave, but they forced their way into the compound,” they said in an interview with Nairobi News.
The uncles further said that Chira distanced himself from the family after revealing his HIV status. They admit that he was stressed but he never shared it openly with them, and only decided to share his troubles through social media.
“Brian used to visit us regularly when he came home from school, but after he revealed his HIV status, he began to distance himself from many family members and skipped gatherings. We would mostly see him on TikTok. It was a significant change from the Brian we knew.
“He seemed stressed, but he never showed it openly. He shared his challenges online and that’s how we knew he was suffering. He preferred to communicate over the phone rather than face-to-face,” they said.
On the question of his sexuality, the family noted that they knew him as a church going man, charming and a bright student.
“As his uncles, we knew Brian as a church-going young man. There were rumours about his sexual orientation, even here. Some say he used to paint his nails. That was part of a beauty course he took to earn a living,” they clarified.
