Materego’s children accuse uncle of swindling 2m/- funeral money

SYLIVESTER DOMASA

FRESH details on the tug of war pitting the late Ernest Materego’s children against their uncle have emerged, giving essential clues behind the brawl.

Materego, a civil aviation radio engineer, died about three weeks ago but has since not been buried due to the scuffle between his children and wife, on one side and his younger brother on the other side, over the burial place.
The two sides started a legal battle after Materego succumbed to diabetes on November 19, 2016 at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) in Dar es Salaam.
In the legal melee that last two weeks, Joyce Materego and her younger brother Edwin, had successfully sued their uncle, Gonche Materego at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate Court, demanding the return of their father’s body from Bunda in Mara Region for burial in Dar es Salaam.
Speaking to the ‘Daily News’ in the city yesterday, the deceased’s two children recounted how they had been taking ‘good’ care of their ailing father, notwithstanding the fact that they were staying outside the country.
“We had been taking good care of our daddy although we live outside the country ... just after our father’s death, Rita (the deceased’s last born), now living in the US wired 1000 US dollars (about 2.2m/-) to our uncle (Gonche Materego),” explained Joyce.
She said their uncle had requested the money to cater for funeral expenses. “But, there is no account on how that money was spent,” said Joyce, wiping-off tears, “I have lost my father but I have also lost my extended family.”
Ms Materego who lives and works in England sadly noted that due to the legal battle, their sibling Rita, who had jetted in on November 24, will not have the opportunity to pay last respects to her father after cancelling her flights several times. Ms Rita left for the US on Tuesday night shortly after the arrival of his late father’s body at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) from Mwanza aboard ATCL plane.
“It is quite painful that my sister will not be here as we put to rest our farther tomorrow (today) afternoon ... she had to leave after having postponed her flight ticket several times while the matter was still in court,” Joyce lamented.
Ms Materego whose flight ticket back to London was scheduled for yesterday, had to reschedule to tomorrow to participate to her father’s burial this afternoon at Airwing cemetery in the city. Narrating the incident, Ms Materego said she convened a long meeting with her uncles, including Gonche upon her arrival in England, unaware of the money that Rita had sent.
Mr Gonche, former Executive Secretary of National Arts Council, BASATA, was at the heart of the dispute, having resolved to transport his brother’s body to Bunda for burial, sparking the legal battle with his nephews and nieces.
Gonche remained non-committal when contacted to clarify on the money aspect and whether he and other family members in Bunda would attend the burial ceremony in Dar es Salaam.
“I cannot talk about it now, I’m currently driving, please contact me after two hours,” Mr Gonche responded in a phone call but thereafter his phone went unanswered. Ms Materego said she had invited all family members, saying it will be upon themselves to decide whether or not to attend to the funeral.
Meanwhile, information availed to this newspaper from impeccable family sources said Materego’s widow who had been out of the country for business in Nairobi will now relocate to Dar es Salaam.
Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court on Monday granted rights to the two children of the deceased to bury their father in Dar es Salaam.
Principal Resident Magistrate Thomas Simba ruled in favour of the children, describing as illegal the transportation of the body to Bunda in Mara Region for burial.
He also directed Gonche, who was the defendant in the matter, to hand over the burial permit to the plaintiffs and that peace should prevail for the whole period of burial arrangements.
According to the magistrate, there was no doubt that Materego died in the city on November 19, this year and the defendant, being his blood brother, took the responsibility of preserving the body to MNH awaiting other arrangements.
At the time, he said, some of his children, one living in London and another in the US, with their divorced mother who lived in Nairobi, had not arrived in Dar es Salaam.
The clan members therefore agreed against transporting the deceased’s body, pending the arrival of the children and other relatives. However, the magistrate noted, the November 24 meeting did not end well, as the defendant decided to take the body from the hospital ready for transportation to Bunda for burial