The girl, identified as Sarah Kwamboka Marario, had mysteriously gone missing in November 2024.
Her disappearance prompted months of searching before the family was informed that her body had been discovered at Gucha Mortuary in Keroka town.
Her funeral was conducted eight months ago, with the family even presenting a burial permit as proof that the government had been notified of the death.
The community gathered, mourned, and buried what they believed to be Sarah’s body.
However, the unimaginable happened when her mother received a call recently, informing her that Sarah was alive and making her way back home.
Speaking to Citizen TV, the mother admitted she was shocked beyond words, saying the news overturned the grief they had carried for months.
It had earlier been presumed that her daughter had died in a road accident in Kisii.
At present, Sarah is staying at a neighbour’s home as the family prepares to perform cleansing rituals before welcoming her back.
Local traditions dictate that certain rites must be observed for anyone believed to have “returned from the dead”.
The family, which struggles financially, now faces another burden as they are required to raise Ksh 50,000 to facilitate the exhumation of the body buried in Sarah’s grave.
In her own account, Sarah said she had tried to contact her parents during her disappearance but was unable to reach them, leaving many unanswered questions about where she had been all along.
Authorities are expected to investigate how the mistaken identity occurred and who was actually buried in her place.
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Family