The family of late public servant Wamu Walu is appealing to the Hela Provincial Administration to urgently arrange his repatriation to Masingara Village in Daru, Western Province, after his body remained at the Erima Funeral Home in Port Moresby for almost five months.

Wamu died at the Port Moresby General Hospital on May 26, 2026, after a short illness.

His eldest son, Chris Wamu, said 10 family members travelled to Port Moresby expecting to bring their father home but have remained in the city while waiting for a clear response on the repatriation.

“Coming and living in the city is costly. We have exhausted our funds,” Chris said.

He said the family had submitted several quotations for the repatriation but had not received confirmation on when the body would be transported to Western Province.

Chris said the family had been informed that a signed cheque was sent by the Hela Provincial Treasurer last month, although the amount was not disclosed.

However, he said the family had still not received confirmation of when the repatriation would take place.

The family has been receiving assistance from a person in the Clerk’s Office who is from Western Province and has been communicating with the Provincial Treasurer on their behalf.

Chris said the family was not in direct contact with the Hela Provincial Government and was relying mainly on the assistance of the person in the Clerk’s Office.

Hela Governor Philip Undialu has expressed his condolences to Wamu’s immediate family, relatives and friends and acknowledged the delay in returning his body home.

Governor Undialu said he was saddened by Wamu’s death and noted his years of public service in both Southern Highlands and Hela provinces.

The Governor also apologised to the family over what he described as a breakdown in communication that resulted in Wamu’s casket remaining at the Port Moresby funeral home.

He instructed the Hela Provincial Administration to immediately liaise with the family and arrange for the casket to be repatriated to Masingara Village for burial.

The Governor also assured the family that the Hela Provincial Government would assist with the repatriation.

Chris, however, said the family was still waiting for a clear response from the administration.

Wamu was born at Daru General Hospital on November 3, 1967, and began his education at Daru Chambers Community School before attending Daru Secondary School from 1980 to 1983.

In 1988, he was accepted into Administration College to study for a Certificate in Local Level Government.

A year later, he joined the Southern Highlands Provincial Government as a Local Level Government executive officer attached to the Koroba-Lake Kopiago Local Level Government Council.

He later served in Lake Kopiago before undertaking a one-year literacy course at the University of Papua New Guinea in 1996.

After completing the course in 1997, he was posted to Mendi with the Department of Provincial Affairs and Local Level Government as an internal auditor.

Wamu worked with the Southern Highlands Provincial Government until 2012 before being permanently attached to the Hela Provincial Government in 2013.

He served as a senior internal auditor and was awaiting his official appointment as the permanent Hela Provincial Auditor.

Wamu was also involved in the transitional period surrounding Hela’s separation from Southern Highlands Province.

His eldest son said his father spent much of his working life serving communities in Southern Highlands before continuing his public service in Hela.

The family now wants him returned to Masingara Village, where they intend to lay him to rest.

“We just want to move things fast,” Chris said.

For the family, the immediate request is simple: they want their father brought home after almost five months in Port Moresby.