Owner of popular Facebook Group Kilimani Mums is dead

By , K24 Digital
On Mon, 16 Aug, 2021 21:43 | 2 mins read
The late Kilimani Mums founder Leah Wangari Gatonye. PHOTO/COURTESY

Leah Wangari Gatonye Dubs who is the founder of Kilimani Mums Uncensored is dead.

The 41-year-old woman who has been living in the United States for years died on Saturday, August 15 following a deadly road accident in South Carolina on Saturday, August 1.

Police in the US through Beaufort County Coroner David Ott said that Wangari was allegedly driving her car while under the influence of alcohol.

She died at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston.

“Wangari was involved in the crash on Red Cedar Street at around 2pm on August 1 and was arrested by officers from Bluffton Police Department then charged with driving under the influence and child endangerment,” local media in the US reported.

Wangari was booked in Beaufort County Detention Center and it emerged that there was need of rushing her to the hospital.

Chris Ophardt who is the Beaufort County spokesperson said that Wangari was cleared by staff at the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Emergency room and taken back to jail.

A day after she was discharged from the hospital, a guard found her on the floor of the cell coughing up blood. She was then rushed to the hospital again before a decision was made to fly her to MUSC where she died from injuries sustained after the accident.

An obituary seen by this reporter stated that the family had received over-whelming messages of sympathy and support.

“Leah has an army of friends and we understand the anxiety of everyone. However, we kindly request for patience as we plan to give our dear Leah a befitting send off. We are busy with the funeral arrangements; we will communicate details of how to support the family in these trying moments,” the obituary read in part.

Until her death, Wangari, who was an active social media user, was also the Secretary of the Kenyan Diaspora Foundation.

The deceased was also known as a heavy drinker and at some point, was even urged by her under-age daughter to quit drinking alcohol.

In 2016, she shared a letter which was written by the minor who urged her to quit drinking alcohol and she further said that she could have died were it not for the efforts by her daughter.

Wangari said that after she read the letter, she went for one year and two months without taking alcohol.