Father K'Okal, 54, preached at his solemn interment in Warao, Venezuela, to an audience of hundreds. Father Josiah K'Okal, a Kenyan priest, was buried within the Parish Church of St. Joseph in Tucupita, Venezuela, after being discovered dead in a forest.


A day after being reported missing, on January 2, Fr. K'Okal, who hails from Gem, Akala in Kenya's Siaya County, was discovered dead, hanging from a tree in a wooded region in Guara, Monagas state.

Father K'Okal, 54, preached at his solemn interment in Warao, Venezuela, to an audience of hundreds.


Online photos from the funeral service depict a somber sight as the priest's body is taken out of the Dr. Luis Razetti Hospital Morgue, and then there is a burial procession and last service.

The priest had been evangelizing the Warao people for years, teaching them, getting to know their language, and fighting for the rights of native people.

On the official Consolata Missionaries website, it states that he was regarded as an essential member of the community.

Called 'Bare Mekoro' (meaning 'Wise Father Black' in Warao), he had been designated this nickname.