Grief as three family members who died in accident buried

Three family members who died in a road accident near Mtitu Andei along the Nairobi-Mombasa road, have been laid to rest.

During the burial ceremony at Mikwa village in Kyuso, Mwingi North subcounty on Saturday, widower Samuel Mulyungi said he was a deeply troubled man after losing his entire family. 

Mulyungi lost his wife Telesia Mumbe,37, who was a teacher at the St. Augustine School, Mwingi, and two children Micheal Mumo, 4, and Peter Mutai, 1, on September 25.

He said the loss was too much to bear.

“I have never been in a more difficult situation than this,” Mulyungi said in a recorded eulogy. 

He said a belated birthday celebration for his son, Mumo in September, which should have been held in May, and attended by relatives, marked the last get-together feast for him and his family.

When the accident happened, the three were returning to Mwingi after visiting Mulyungi who works with Pwani Oil Refineries in Mombasa.

The matatu they were travelling in collided head-on with an oncoming trailer.

They died on the spot.

As the recorded audio was aired, Mulyungi who was supported by his cousin Tony Mathembe stood in front of the caskets.

He said after his family left Mombasa he tried to text his wife through an SMS but it was in vain as he left for a church service.

Mulyungi said he had sent Mumbe a message to get an update on their journey but ominously no response was forthcoming.

“In the message, I asked her how far have you gone, but my text remained unanswered,” he said.

Mulyungi said at 2 pm,  he learned that the vehicle his family had travelled in had been involved in an accident.

“When I called my wife, my call was answered by a medic who told me that my wife had been involved in an accident. He asked me to try as much as I could to get to the hospital (Kibwezi),” he said.

He said he ended up at the Kambu Sub-district hospital morgue in Makueni, where with the help of relatives and friends, he identified his wife and two children.

The widower said the sudden loss of his entire family was unbearable as they had developed an indispensable bond and friendship in his seven years and 10 months of marriage.

“I regarded Telesia the mother of my children with high esteem. I respected and loved my sons. Equally, the three loved and respected me. We loved one another and we were great buddies,” he said.

The burial rites were conducted by the Kitui Catholic Bishop Joseph Mwongela’s executive secretary Fr. Edward Mulwa.

MP Paul Nzengu and his predecessor John Munuve attended the ceremony.

The trio was buried in the same grave but in three different compartments with the mother at the centre and one child on the right side and the other on the left.

Nzengu condoled with Mulyungi saying it was a big blow to lose such a  young family and urged him to turn to and trust in God for solace and guidance.

“No amount of words of condolences are sufficiently soothing. The only helpful way is to trust in God’s comfort,” he said.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris