@Washiku wacha feelings and answer the question!

Allow me to digress here...millions of taxpayer's money from the have nots like me are being used by the haves for a burial. I am especially saddened as this culture of state funerals is taking root in this country. At the risk of cultural sensitivities. .I want say that this is absolute abuse of our African values as the haves feel nobody will ask them questions as it concerns the bereaved. . Think about it..Where is this provided for in the constitution?..who is supposed to be given the so called state burial?. Please allow me to repudiate the line of thought that akina Fidel and Lucy had done much for the country. .I say this and I shall repeat again..They were more than compensated for what they did through renumeration and other benefits some of us can only dream of...
What happens to have nots. ..I am expected to dip into poverty and take care of my kin burial ...We are constantly doing mchango from the have nots to give our kins a decent send off..

Kenya has enough resources for sustainable development . .but we have to get our priorities right. .
A State burial like this is a day light robbery on the have nots; an abuse of power.

Nothing to worry about. Kibaki's medical cover as former head of state covers hospitalization locally and abroad and also a "fitting" burial of him, spouse and dependents. Also when the better half of a former president, who is entitled to a state burial, dies the least we can do is give his half a state burial. Coz half of the presidency has died. President and first lady are one.

macabbages needed here to remind us that taxpayers sio nyinyi maskini peke yenu

we are not spending on Lucy's burial coz she's rich but because she's a former first lady

Which law of this land shows that she is entitled to a state burial?
The simple question is if they can afford, ( bona wadoee?)..why dip their fingers into our taxes?
No wonder the poor can only get poorer. .
One of the greatest challenges towards economic emancipation of a people is that the most of the oppressed are ussualy a party to their oppression.

Waaah!!!

1) The only scandal would be "if she is alive!!" if she is dead sioni shida ni nini!! When she died is immaterial

2) I am not sure who has the discretion to direct that certain individuals get state burials and why others should not. it's not a constitutional matter (cos the constitution is not the only law of the land). Sidhani pesa hiyo ya state funeral makes a world of a difference - how many people have been buried by the state? how much in total has that been? Kenya ingekuwa "mdosi" zaidi if they had not been buried using state resources? if you have beef with the discretionally manner state funerals are dished out - tafuta hiyo sheria ukikosa enda kwa Mutunga! by the way many states bury their prominent people. Si tulizika Wangari juzi? I agree with you - the metric that determines what should not be discretionally but in law and for that... ongea na MP wako apeleke motion parliament.

3) Kibaki is a billionaire and the reason people become billionaires is not because they love to spend! nope... if you went to lunch with him I am sure he would either do 3 things... a) let you pay b) go dutch c) pay coz he has figured out a way to milk you of this cash later! If the state steps up - he will not touch a shilling to bury kalucy! After all as @Lolest has alluded to... MALI YA UMMA SIO MALI YA MASKINI! NI YA UMMA and he is part of that "UMMA"

Or "if she was never born/lived".

But, Is the issue/argument/scandal that she is dead,alive or somebody is trying to steal public money using Lucy's death/non existence?

technically "state" burials or burials of any sort do not add value to the deceased!!! hizi ni vitu munajifanyia... nyinyi ambao mumebaki! mkitaka kunitupa nikulwe na mbwa or munichome ni baki majivu ama nitupwe kwa ocean - ni shauri yenu na watu wetu... I am gone... cold...dead...story za burial ni story za wanaoishi... Kwa ufupi the question "DOES LUCY DESERVE A STATE BURIAL" is pointless - the larger question is "DO WE THINK LUCY OCCUPIED A PLACE/STATUS IN OUR LIVES THAT WE CHOOSE TO HONOUR HER FAMILY WITH A STATE BURIAL"

In some cultures death is associated with a lot of rituals e.g. Tero buru, running around the coffin, wailing around an open casket, feasting, caning the dead etc. So when some people see the "quiet" surrounding this case, they can't believe what's happening or that someone has actually died. It's a culture clash. The way things are done in western and nyanza isn't the same way they are done in central. We should understand "those people".