Diaspora in Mourning as Kenyan-American Mother Loses Three Children in Gilgil Crash”
https://www.youtube.com/live/coVns3tQvqw?si=JAQCAprUdxLFt4LO
A trip home that was meant to be filled with joy, reunion, and service has ended in unimaginable heartbreak for a Kenyan-American family, leaving diaspora communities in deep mourning.
In December, Ms. Wangui traveled from the United States to Kenya to spend the holidays with her children and to continue her long-standing support of a children’s home in Bungoma. Friends say she often returned home not only as a mother, but as a bridge of hope for vulnerable children.
On Sunday, January 4, as their visit drew to a close, the family hired a public service vehicle to travel from Bungoma toward Nairobi ahead of their scheduled return flight to the US on January 7. Ms. Wangui and her husband sat directly behind the driver, while the three children took the back seats, unaware that the journey would change their lives forever.[the-star +1]Close to midnight near Gilgil, a trailer overtaking another vehicle veered into their lane, forcing the PSV driver to swerve in a desperate attempt to avoid a head-on collision. The trailer struck the middle of the vehicle, causing it to roll and leaving a trail of devastation on the highway.
Emmanuel, who was looking forward to turning 14 in March, died instantly at the scene. His younger brother, Kairo, a vibrant boy who would have turned seven in May, suffered critical head injuries and was rushed to Nakuru Women’s Hospital, where he was placed on life support but later passed away. Their big sister, Njeri, a 16-year-old on the brink of adulthood and set to turn 17 in March, was transferred to Nairobi Hospital, where she underwent two major surgeries before succumbing to her injuries days later.
Within just 12 days, all three children were gone.[the-star +1]As the family battled for Njeri’s life, burial arrangements for the two boys were put on hold. After her passing, the family made the painful decision to cremate all three siblings. A memorial and funeral service will be held at International Christian Centre (ICC) on Mombasa Road, followed by cremation at Kariokor Crematorium, where the children will be laid to rest together.
Their biological father, Mr. Darwin DeLeon, flew to Kenya soon after the crash to stand with the family in grief. Njeri and Emmanuel were born from his marriage to Ms. Wangui, while the youngest, Kairo, was the child of Ms. Wangui’s second marriage to Mr. Christopher Winkelpleck, who was also in the vehicle at the time of the accident.
For a mother who came home to care for other people’s children, losing all her own in one visit is a sorrow beyond words.
