Death, Grief and Culture in Kenya: Experiential Strengths-Based Research

Abstract

This chapter examined how families deal with death and mourning in Kenya from a family strengths perspective. Because Kenya has 43 ethnic groupings (tribes) with differing rituals surrounding death and bereavement, we highlighted three case studies to illustrate how three individuals from the Embu, Luhya, and Luo tribes responded to events preceding and following death of a family members, Cultural practices regarding death and mourning in the three tribes appear to be directed at healing the group or community. However at individual level, the death of a loved one is experienced differently by members of the same family, reflecting the personal and unique meaning death has for each individual depending on his/ her relationship to the deceased. At such times individual strengths are utilized to cope with the loss. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)