Slain NHIF staff Lilian Waithera laid to rest in Kirinyaga

The little-known Kamugunda village in Mwea, Kirinyaga county, was overcome with sadness on Friday as slain NHIF employee Mary Lilian Waithera was put to rest.

Among those who attended the solemn service were her family, coworkers, friends, and clergymen who paid tribute to Waithera as a dedicated worker, devoted wife, and mother to two boys.

They claimed that Waithera’s death was a significant blow to her family and the country as a whole because of her tenacious and dedicated spirit.

Father Wilfred Mwaura, a Catholic priest, described the murder as heinous and urged those responsible to repent or else they would incur God’s vengeance.

A section of mourners who attended the burial ceremony of the late Mary Lilian Waithera. IMAGE WANGECHI WANG’ONDU

He declared that it was premature to end the life of someone whose future was bright and hopeful.

“Life is precious and no one has the right to take it away. Those involved should repent or face God’s wrath,” he said.

Despite having pardoned the murderers, he claimed that the 47-year-family old’s should be granted a hearing in court.

“We have forgiven those who killed our daughter but we are urging the state to arrest them and bring them to book,” he said.

Waithera’s sister-in-law Rosemary Wanjiru echoed his sentiments when she said that they will cherish and etch the memories of the deceased in their minds for all eternity.

Waithera mysteriously passed away on February 13 while departing work with a coworker along Kaunda Street in Nairobi’s central business district.

She was declared dead at the scene by medical personnel who reacted to the emergency, meaning that efforts to save her life were ineffective.

A bullet was found in her lungs during an autopsy performed on her corpse a few days later.