Family and friends of the deceased Orie Rogo Manduli on Tuesday, October 5, paid their final respects at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi.
A majority of women in attendance commemorated the late activist by wearing the trademark headgear that Orie Rogo Manduli was known for.
During the requiem mass, Manduli’s youngest daughter Janice Rogo moved the crowd with a heartrending eulogy for her mother.
Read Janice Rogo’s tribute below and watch a video thereafter.
Another requiem mass will be held today, Wednesday, October 6, from 2 pm to 4 pm at the St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church in Kisumu.
Orie Rogo Manduli will then be laid to rest on Saturday at her farm in Tondorie Estate in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County.
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“Mum loved us all fiercely, but never did we imagine that the mighty lioness, Agwambess, Tausi, Mama Safi, total woman, in a total constituency, with total needs, would one day be felled by the death of one of her cubs. What have I lost?”
“I never imagined that I would lose my beloved sister and precious mum in a span of two years.
“I have lost the person who gave birth to and anchored me, and loved me with every fibre of her being. It is further enforced when I hear people telling me: ‘your mum loved her children dearly’.
“I don’t know how I am going to make it tomorrow; my heart is broken, I want to gnash my teeth and haul from the depths of my being at the loss of the only woman I called mum. My loss is irreparable, my world is dim; that protecting, comforting voice has been silenced.
“I am at a loss as to how I am going to spend the rest of my days. Goodbye, mum; it is not well, it would never be.
“I cannot even be sure that your soul, or anyone else’s for that matter, rests in peace. In truth, that is what we say to comfort ourselves; we don’t really know.
“I know you are united with beloved ally, Georgey, your grandmother and grandfather. Know this, your legacy will live on to your remaining daughters because you have bred fighters; your cubs have now taken up the mantle. I love you mum, I always will.”
