Mourners torch houses at the late footballer Silas Abungana’s family compound
A night vigil for the departed Kakamega Homeboyz footballer Silas Abungana turned dramatic after unruly mourners torched several houses at the player’s ancestral home in Itenyi Muranda, Kakamega County.
According to images appearing from the scene of the incident on Friday, February, 20, 2026, moments after the player’s cortege left Bukhungu Stadium for his home, a couple of houses belonging to the deceased’s family—specifically those of his brother and father—were reduced to ashes after angry mourners arrived at the scene ahead of the night vigil, on the eve of the player’s burial.
Unresolved demise
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The Football Kenya Federation club had initially confirmed that the slain defender was scheduled to be buried on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Whereas many have pointed to the angry reaction of mourners to boiling frustration over the unresolved death of the footballer, many have attributed the shocking incident to a cultural practice among the Isukha, a sub-tribe of the larger Luhya ethnic group.
Abungana tragically passed away on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at Kakamega County Referral Hospital after suffering injuries in a violent family feud that turned fatal.
His demise on Wednesday threw the football fraternity into mourning, with his club chairman lamenting the loss of a dependable member of the team who had only recently joined the club.
Controversy
Earlier, a sombre mood engulfed the Kakamega Homeboyz’s home grounds as the remains of the defender arrived at the ground where supporters, friends, and members of the club were accorded a solemn opportunity to pay their last respects.
The event followed after Homeboyz played Sofapaka in a rescheduled Premier League clash at the venue, winning the clash in tribute to the player on a 2-0 scoreline.
The inquest into his sudden death continues after the club chairman sought authorities’ intervention on the events leading to the player’s demise.
“I would ask the government to intervene and help us arrest the person culpable for clarity, and also get the family to shed more light on the circumstances leading to his death. At the moment, there is a lot of conflicting news. Some are claiming it is a land dispute, while others say he had married someone whom the family did not approve of,” Shimanyula said during a past interview.
