Nairobi — The family of a man who died under mysterious circumstances abroad is in a dilemma over the fate of his remains.

Geoffrey Muchanga Mwangi, 30, died in France about a month ago and the family has less than a week to transport the body back for burial or it is disposed of by the French authorities in a public cemetery.

But mystery surrounds the death of the man, also known as John Maina Mwangi, who left the country about two years ago in yet to be verified circumstances and ended up in France as an illegal immigrant.

A letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dated February 28, this year puts the cost of repatriating the body at between Sh153,000 and Sh383,800, which the family cannot afford.

His father Stephen Mwangi Muchanga, 58, said his son went missing since early 2006 and only informed relatives of his whereabouts through a friend in January this year. But on February 19 he got a telephone call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informing him that his son was found dead in a house on February 15.

On the run

Previously, he said, the younger Mwangi, who was a trained laboratory technician, was reportedly on the run from the outlawed Mungiki sect after defecting.

"I had no idea where he had gone to until a friend of his, who did not want to be identified, called me to say my son was in France," the father, who is a mason, told the Nation in Thika Town.

However, the elder Mwangi is more worried about the circumstances surrounding the death of his son as no information has been given explaining the cause.

He said the family is appealing to the French authorities not to bury the body before a post-mortem is conducted.

Determined to establish the truth, Mr Mwangi obtained a passport to travel to the European country, but besides the lack of an air ticket, he is yet to get a French visa which he has applied for.

The man hailed from Mathioya in Murang'a North District, but later relocated to Nairobi.