When the Sony Erikson phone made a debut in Kenya in the early 2000s, a young Tevin Obiga quickly mastered how to navigate it.
He also helped his grandfather use the gadget.
As a little boy, he always reminded his grandparents, whom he lived with, how clever he was. They had so much hope in him.
Tevin had an inborn passion for computer and IT-related matters from his primary school days.
He honed this passion through his basic schooling.
He later joined Strathmore University and later University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, to pursue a degree in computer engineering.
Tevin, 26, died early March at St Boniface Hospital where he was taken ill since early January.
He is survived by his mother and brother Leroy Edgar Ochieng' who studies in London.
Tevin had grand ambitions which inspired to focus his research work on developing a software system to be used for monitoring logistical trucks at the Port of Mombasa.
His software was to help in clearing and forwarding work flow aimed at reducing paperwork to enhance efficiency at the ports.
His relatives, led by his mother Lilian Atieno Ndiego and uncle George Bhutto, described him as a brilliant young man who had a promising future as an IT engineer.
His classmates back in Canada described him as a sporty man who spent most of his time in the pitch and was always obedient.
They described him as personable and social.
His family said, though he was in a foreign country for six years, the extreme cold seemed to have taken a toll on him.
On January 4, he visited an outpatient hospital but later returned with pneumonia-like symptoms.
His condition later deteriorated and he was put under ICU monitoring.
In another week, doctors at St Boniface Hospital diagnosed him with blastomycosis, an infection of the lungs.
They moved him to a ward and was put on an ECMO machine to sustain his breathing while he received treatment.
His remains will be buried in Kisumu, Kapuonja, on Friday.
His hospital and mortuary bills has accumulated to more than 500,000 Canadian dollars (about Sh46 million).
The bills have prompted his friends to start a fundraising campaign that has seen Canadian politicians push to have foreign students enjoy state-funded health cover.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
