In the tiny chapel of Abney Funeral Home on Stoke Newington High Street North West of Hackney in East London, mourners packed in for the funeral service of Tyron Mulinde.

The 20 year old Ugandan Londoner who was stabbed to death on October 20th 2018 in Somerset Town in South West England was being prayed for, before later being laid to rest at Old Southgate Cemetery in North London.

Absent at the service and burial was his aggrieved father Sam Mulinde Kaddu (pictured below) and his family still in Uganda where Tyron had desired to be buried but the request overturned by a UK Coroner in a dispute that arose abruptly over where he should be laid to rest.

UK Senior Coroner Tony Williams suddenly withheld releasing the body to Tyron’s father for planned repatriation to Uganda after the deceased’s girlfriend and mother to his now 5 months old baby boy, raised a grievance over burying him in Uganda. Tyron’s Kenyan mother Tanya (pictured below) accused by Sam for abandoning her son when he was a baby but then suddenly surfacing at his death, was present at the service and burial. She paid tribute to her only child (audio attached) saying the two were in touch by phone, him calling often and telling her how much he loved her (Her tribute to Tyron in audio below this photo).

Tyron’s girlfriend Tiana (audio attached below), her mother and sister paid tribute to him describing him as a devoted father to his son and who possessed a sense of humour that “lit up a room”.

Tyron’s father Sam Mulinde and his older siblings were not at the service or funeral because of their disagreement over him being buried in the UK. Sam said his son had preferred “when the time came” (and being much sooner than expected) to be buried in Uganda. Sam and some of Tyron’s siblings are still in Uganda where they travelled and proceeded with holding a service and absentia burial for him on December 12th 2018.

A section of Ugandans in the UK including a few of Tyron’s relatives, Kenyans and Tyron’s friends, joined Tanya and Tiana for the funeral service and the burial afterwards at Old Southgate Cemetery on Waterfall Road in North London.

Conducting the church and burial services, Rev David Hoyte condemned knife crime atrocities saying they have caused so many deaths of young people in the United Kingdom. Knife crime related deaths he said are greatly affecting the Black community who are stranded about the causes whilst simultaneously living in denial of their effect to the community and thus struggling to come up with solutions.  

Rev Hoyte comforted the mourners in their grief saying Tyron had returned to his maker.

“The thing with death is that it is a separator. We had Tyron on this earth for 20 years. Now Tyron is no longer with us. We will only have memories. What we have here in this coffin are his mortal remains which we will later commit to where he came from,” he preached.

“The memories that you have of him, continue to cherish them. Let it not be a case of out of sight, out of mind. For the little one, his grandmother (Tyron’s Mother-in-Law), Tyron’s partner and in-laws have said he is going to be taught, he is going to be instructed and enlightened all about who his dad was ” he comforted.

Rev Hoyte urged the family to ensure the little one is brought up the right way.

Two people-Nial Koporo, 25 and Olivia Cromwell, 18, have since been charged with his murder.