Citizen TV anchor Waihiga Mwaura experienced two painful deaths in 2021 and 2022 that changed his view of the world.
Waihiga lost his father-in-law in June 2021, he was a victim of the 1998 bombing of the US embassy.
Waihiga's wife, Joyce Omondi, lost her father 23 years after battling terror-related injuries.
The singer-cum-TV host while reflecting on her father's death early this year said her dad was hospitalized for a long time after the bombing.
She further revealed that she almost missed a chance to study in the UK because she feared her dad would die before she returned home.
“He was in the hospital for very many years. By the time I was going to university abroad, I had a mixed mind. I thought he would be dead when I’m coming back,” Joyce Omondi said.
"When I did my song, ‘Naamini’, my dad did not live for six months. By the time I released ‘Jibu’, I was questioning God as to why he allowed it (dad’s death) to happen.
“I was very bitter and very upset. I had written the song while he was in the hospital, but I released it after his death,” she added.
In April 2022, death struck again as Waihiga lost his sister Gathoni Mwaura who died after a long battle with the chronic condition Bipolar Disorder.
The news of the death was first shared by Mwaura’s wife Joyce Omondi on social media on April 20, 2022.
“I feel numb and speechless. It’s incredibly difficult trying to accept that our tender-hearted, witty, beautiful little sister, Gathoni, is suddenly no longer with us. Oh Lord, we fix our eyes on You. Our risen King, only You, your unfailing love and sufficient grace are the answer to this pain and sorrow,” Joyce Omondi wrote on Instagram.
Gathoni Mwaura’s cause of death was ultimately revealed during her memorial service at CITAM Valley Road.
According to a tribute read by Anne Githuku, Gathoni died while at a Nairobi hospital on April 14 at 4 am.
“On Thursday, April 14, 2022, on her mother’s birthday Gathoni was in a Nairobi medical facility and was recovering well from a personal illness. At around 4 am she collapsed and CPR was administered to her by the medical practitioners on site. While being rushed to another hospital she rested," Githuku said.
Githuku further disclosed that Waihiga's sister struggled with Bipolar Disorder.
“Gathoni worked towards her dreams and desires even though for years she had suffered from bipolar disorder. She openly talked about her struggles with mental health and despite her pain, she reached out to others to help them.”
Bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive illness or manic depression) is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.
People with bipolar disorder are more likely than those without the mental illness to die from a number of causes and to die almost a decade younger.
Bipolar sufferers are at raised risk of dying from heart disease, diabetes, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, the flu and pneumonia.[sic]
Waihiga affected by the deaths
The Citizen TV anchor says the two deaths in 2021 and 2022 significantly changed how he views the world.
Waihiga noted that he has come to terms with the sad truth that life is short and some of the things we hold so dearly are insignificant.
"Having lost loved ones in 2021 & 2022 my view of this world and the next has been significantly altered. As I realise just how short life is & how some of the things that we hold so dear are truly so insignificant, " Waihiga wrote on Instagram.
