Wife of man who drowned in Juja dam not mentioned in his eulogy

Margaret Kiiru, the wife of a man who drowned in the Titanic dam in Juja, Kiambu county, was snubbed in his eulogy.

Tirus Maina Gikonyo drowned in the Juja dam alongside his alleged secret lover Fridah Warau Kamuyu who was identified at the City Mortuary on Thursday, January 26, 2023, by members of her family - more than a week after the incident.

Gikonyo's eulogy was written in three paragraphs which were enshrined inside the four-paged funeral programme with two photos of the deceased.

Gikonyo's burial took place on Friday, January 27, 2023, at his ancestral home at Gumba village in Mukurwe-ini constituency, Nyeri County.

Nation reported that the burial was hurriedly conducted without speeches or photography. It was conducted by a pastor from the Anglican Church of Kenya.

The ceremony was enveloped with tension as reports went around that the deceased had two wives who were all present. However, none of the wives nor the children were introduced.

The eulogy read as follows:

Celebrating the man who was loving and caring.

The late Tirus Maina was born in February 1984 at Mukurweini, Nyeri County. He was the third-born son of the late Joseph Gikonyo and Madrin Wangui. He was a loving brother to Jedidah Wangari, the late Judy Wairimu, Michael Mbore, Joyce Wanjiru and Isaiah Mwangi.

The late started his school at Kariara Primary and moved to Rutune Primary then Dedan Kimathi University.

The late Tirus relocated to Thika where he started working as an engineer since 2006 with different companies in and out of the country until his demise.

The wife

Days after the tragic incident, Margaret Kiiru identified herself as Tirus Maina Gikonyo's wife.

Speaking to Citizen Digital, Kiiru recounted that prior to the incident her husband called to inform her of a business meeting he would be attending at 7:00 pm. She said that was the last time she heard from him.

Afterwards, every other message and call went unanswered.

“My husband left home for work on Monday morning, and we spoke in the evening around 7 pm. He said he was in Juja for a business meeting, I asked what he would want for dinner and that was the last time we spoke,” Kiiru recounted.

“I called and sent him messages but he was unreachable, very unusual of him because he has always been accessible,” she added.