Sarafina Salim reveals painful reason she could not watch Karangu family view Kagema’s body
By Steve Ireri, August 12, 2026Mugithi songstress Sarafina Salim has opened up about the emotional pain that resurfaced while watching the family of late TikToker Joshua Kagema Muraya view his body at Kenyatta University Funeral Home.
In a facebook post on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, the singer reflected on the painful moment, saying the scenes took her back to a day marked by a loss she knows all too well.
Salim said she tried to watch the emotional body-viewing session involving the Muraya family at KU, but found herself unable to continue because it brought back memories of her own painful experience with loss.
“I tried to watch the Karangu family at KU, but I couldn’t. took me straight back to this day,” she wrote as she shared photos from her own brothers burial.
She said the scenes immediately transported her to that difficult day, making it difficult for her to watch the grieving family go through the process.
Salim expressed particular concern for the Muraya family’s mother, asking God to carry her through a moment she described as too painful for words to adequately explain.
She prayed for comfort and strength for the family as they came to terms with the loss of another loved one.
“a pain I know too well. May God carry this family through a moment no words can make easier,” she added.
The singer also asked God to grant the family peace as they navigated the difficult period of mourning.
“May He comfort their mother, strengthen them, and grant them peace,” she wrote.
Kagema’s emotional final send-off
Salim’s emotional reflection came as hundreds of mourners gathered to bid farewell to Kagema, whose death had sent shockwaves through Kenya’s entertainment and social media circles.
Kagema, 33, was laid to rest on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at his family home in Kiria-ini, Murang’a County.
The TikToker and Kikuyu actor died on August 3 after battling tuberculosis and meningitis, leaving behind his family, friends, fellow entertainers and a young child.
His burial came only months after the Muraya family had suffered another devastating loss following the death of another brother, Paul.
That recent loss added another layer of grief to Kagema’s funeral, with the family once again forced to confront the pain of losing a son and brother.
The emotional scenes began earlier at the Kenyatta University Funeral Home, where members of the Muraya family gathered for the body-viewing session.
Kagema’s elder brother, gospel musician and content creator Karangu Muraya, was visibly overcome with emotion as he stood alongside their mother.
Karangu broke down as he comforted his grieving mother, while his wife, Carol Kim, remained close to the family during the difficult moment.
The grief continued at the burial ceremony in Kiria-ini, where family members and mourners gathered to witness Kagema’s final journey.
In one of the most poignant moments of the interment, Bishop Benson Kamau of Jesus Christ Compassion Ministries called upon Karangu, their brother Karuga and Kagema’s former partner and baby mama, Tabitha Wambui, to help lower the casket into the grave.
The moment brought the reality of Kagema’s death into sharp focus as those closest to him took part in the final act of laying him to rest.
The burial rites were conducted with the participation of AIC clergy and Bishop Benson Kamau.
Media personality and church leader Ben Muthee Kiengei also joined mourners in praying for the Muraya family, asking God to strengthen them through the successive losses that have struck their household.
Who is Sarafina Salim?
Sarafina Salim is one of Kenya’s prominent Mugithi musicians and is widely known among Kikuyu music fans as the “Mugithi Queen”.
Her family has itself experienced devastating losses over the years, including the deaths of her brothers Salim Junior and Mighty Salim.
Salim Junior, whose real name was Paul Mwangi, was a pioneer of the one-man-guitar Mugithi style before his death in January 2016.
His younger brother, Mighty Salim, whose real name was Timothy Njuguna, later became another prominent figure in the genre before his death in January 2021 following a battle with kidney failure.
The losses have left the Salim family with a deeply personal connection to the pain of losing close family members, making Salim’s emotional reaction to the Muraya family’s grief particularly poignant.
Beyond her music career, Salim has also ventured into business and continues to maintain a strong following among lovers of Kikuyu music.
Her music has earned her a significant following, while her family background has made her one of the recognisable names in Kenya’s Kikuyu entertainment scene.