'Grieving has no timeline' Military wives meet KDF widows in Lang'ata

Military Wives Association of Kenya on Wednesday met widows of fallen KDF heroes who have passed in the line of duty.

The forum where over 30 widows converged at the Lang’ata Barracks was aimed at sharing experiences and brainstorming on mitigation measures and how best to improve the support system and services from the KDF.

Chairperson Tabitha Kibochi assured the widows of a shoulder to lean on to cope with the unfortunate demises of their husbands.

“One of our key components is advocacy and by understanding the challenges you’re going through, we shall lobby to get more assistance,” she said.

She said the organization will open offices in various regions to offer mentorship that will empower the widows and give them skills to enable self-sustaining income-generating activities.

The widows expressed gratitude towards the support given so far and sought to be considered for jobs and tenders alongside their children in addition to being assigned counsellors to support them in their journey.

The widow to the late major general Nthenge, Josephine Nthenge, encouraged widows to speak out when mourning.

Major-General Francis Nthenge served as the deputy force commander at the African Union Mission in Somalia before his death.

He died of illness at Nairobi Hospital on July 30.

“Grieving has no timelines. It’s okay to mourn but seek help. Death is inevitable and we shall all go one day," Josephine said.

"It was hard for me when the unfortunate news was broken to me but over time I have come to accept the reality and heal gradually."

Lieutenant Colonel Kahiri, the Head of Character and Development urged the women to get involved in widow groups where they can listen to other widows and understand the journey of widowhood.

Also in attendance were MWAK officials and representatives from the Compensation and Welfare Department.