"We never want to see what we saw today": Brian Chira burial 'celebration' sparks disdain from village elders 

Chaos ensued at Kenyan TikTok creator Brian Chira’s burial ceremony on Tuesday, March 26. The 23-year-old social media personality passed away on March 16 in a reported road accident. He was laid to rest in Githunguri’s Ingitei village in Kiambu County.

Brian had over 428k followers on TikTok, among whom many had attended his burial along with his friends and family. His body was kept at the Kenyatta University Funeral Home, where thousands of people gathered to bid him farewell. After honoring the late TikToker, his supporters proceeded to Githunguri, his grandmother’s ancestral home.

However, disorder broke out upon arriving at his grandmother's village. Locals were upset by the presence of an overwhelming crowd of people from the content-creating community.

They complained that Brian's friends performed his burial in a somewhat non-traditional manner, and did not allow his family or any religious figurehead at the gravesite to perform the funeral rites. One of the villagers was unhappy with the phrase "Hatuna maisha" or "We have no lives" used by the TikTokers. In an interview with Nairobi News, she said:

"We only want the best for our children, because we never want to see what we saw today. It was a bad scene. The family wasn't even allowed to bury their loved one with dignity. We want our children to come home with the respect they left with."

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Villagers criticized Brian Chira's burial celebration

Brian Chira’s followers were sporting t-shirts and hoodies with his name and his favorite catchphrases written on them at the burial ceremony. The roads from Kiambu town to his home were marked with white chalk as mourners were transported on matatus.

The villagers at Brian's grandmother's home never witnessed such a huge crowd of young people. Some complained that the youngsters had little respect for the elderly locals.

The 23-year-old's immediate family, neighbors, and his schoolmates were supposed to bury him. However, the people from the online community took the burial rites upon themselves. Villagers said many of them arrived at Brian's grave drunk and acted recklessly.

The late TikTok creator's family members and villagers stood back cluelessly, letting his friend bury him. Brian's family members were supposed to cover his grave with earth. Instead, his friends scattered it across the gravesite to plant flowers. The TikTokers also danced to music, took selfies with Brian Chira's grave, and recorded videos.

Nairobi News spoke to some villagers who disapproved of the youngsters' mannerisms at the burial. The woman who previously spoke to the outlet said, the residents will call on the village to execute a cleansing ceremony to purge the place of any negative spirits that might have been left behind.

The locals were asked what made them upset. They responded that the youngsters' dressing style, and the way they drank alcohol and smoked in front of the elders, were disrespectful. Locals claimed Brian Chira's online friends disrespected their Kikuyu tradition. One person said:

"They urinated everywhere. That's not the way we were brought up. We're worried about their future and how they're going to raise their own children. It was a struggle even for the church to get access to the grave site. They don't seem to know what they're doing."

Another villager was asked if they blamed the young people's upbringing. The local answered:

"I wouldn't blame their background because many of them were well brought up. After 18 years, we let them go out into the world, and that's where they pick up this behavior."

The villagers said Brian Chira's friends' actions were inappropriate for a funeral. They condemned his friends for being inebriated and taking selfies. Another villager was disappointed and said the 23-year-old deserved a respectful funeral.

One local said stepping on the grave, dancing around it, and drinking alcohol are not part of their Kikuyu culture. They questioned if Brian Chira's friends truly respected him.