Mum Laid to Rest

When Mum passed away last week and funeral arrangements began in earnest, I worried how I would deal with viewing her body and all the stuff that come with funerals. But I felt bright and clear-headed throughout the mourning week which ended yesterday after we laid her to rest.

Her burial day began well for me. I woke up effortlessly early in the morning and travelled to Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi where we viewed the body.

Saddened by the sight of Mum's lifeless face, I felt like crying but stayed strong. Soon after we were through with body viewing, I got into the hearse with Dad and three ladies. We were driven to my hometown Catholic church for a funeral service.

The funeral service was lovely with beautiful singing by the choir, a great sermon by the priest and wonderful emceeing by Ludovic Kahoro, the church catechist. And I was privileged to offer a tribute to Mum. Here's a copy of the tribute I gave which I've edited for clarity:

My fellow christians, allow me to offer a brief but sincere tribute to my mother, the late Rebecca Muthoni Maina. After having known her as Mum my whole life, all I can say is that she was the best mother I could ever have wished for. Very responsible and committed to her role as a mother.

I remember with nostalgia how she woke up every morning to tend our farm, feed the cattle and then head to our hometown of Kiserian to run her shop. It was from that shop that she earned the money that put food on our table, clothes on our backs and roofs over our heads. Not once did she ever take a break from her work. That's how committed she was as a mother.

Over the years, I've acquired a lot of knowledge which made me more educated than Mum. Despite my superior education, to her, I was still her child. She would therefore offer me advice on how to go about my life. And I must say that I appreciated some of her advice.

After she was incapacitated in 2013 by an illness that forced her to rest at home, she kept showing us her responsible side. She would phone our family members, friends and relatives to check on how they were doing. For me, it was always a delight to hear her voice over the phone.

And it has been the honor of my life to look after her for the last eight years when her health was declining. We shared good times together as well as some bad times. But it was all a great ride.

Some of my favorite memories of our times together are the evenings she wished me journey mercies and Christ's blessings before I left home for my walking exercises.

Yes, Mum was a good and responsible woman. Loving, generous and understanding. As we gather here today to bid her farewell, I'm terribly grief-stricken. I will miss her jokes, her voice, her advice and her blessings.

But since Mum believed in Christ, I'm confident that she is now in a better place in heaven where she is watching over us. And I can hardly wait to reunite with her in heaven. So till we meet again, rest in peace Mum.

Before the funeral day, I had resolved that if I felt horribly nervous while giving the tribute, I would pretend to be sorrowful and pause to gather my wits. When it came time to deliver the tribute though, I felt a bit confident and was satisfied with what I said. And I was encouraged when my brother Joe Kagigite commended me for delivering my tribute well.

After the funeral service, we headed home where we laid Mum to rest. Tears of grief cascaded down my ruddy face as I watched her casket being lowered into the cold, dark grave. But I stayed strong.

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