The husband of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances in the Nairobi CBD says his wife was not a witness in any corruption case at the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Lilian Waithera, a 46-year-old employee at NHIF, was on her way home from work in Upper Hill when she collapsed and died on Kaunda Street.
An autopsy later established she had a bullet lodged in her lung, raising fears she might have been targeted. Unconfirmed reports also emerged that she was a whistleblower in a multibillion corruption case.
But speaking at their Nairobi home on Saturday afternoon, Waithera’s husband Paul Mbogo said his wife was an open book. He said she could have told him about the case if it were true.
“She was not a witness of anything. Mary never hid anything from me. Even when she sneezed during the day, when we met in the evening she would tell me,” he said as quoted by the Sunday Nation.
Mbogo said he met Lilian in 2006 and it was love at first sight.
“The day I saw her, I knew she was the one. And from that day, she has never gone to her parents or anywhere that we have had some fighting or anything. People say marriages have ups and downs. I have never had a down in my marriage,” he said.
Adding: “My neighbours, my family have never heard that my wife has gone back home because we have had fights. It was a perfect match.”
Mbogo said their bond was so strong that some people thought it was abnormal.
“She was close to me, and many people used to tell us our relationship was very abnormal. And I told them, ‘Let it be as abnormal as it can be.’ It is because we were each other’s comforters.”
Mbogo was addressing parents from the school where one of his two sons is a Grade Four pupil. Lillian and Mbogo’s other son is in Form Three.
He faulted the media for being insensitive, saying journalists have been camping at their home.
“Reporters have been coming here every day, every single day. And they are not even compassionate. They don’t care. They write many things in the papers; that we have refused to give them interviews; how we should be investigated. They have been camping here night and day. But sina nguvu ya kuwapatia interview,” he said.
Mr Mbogo also noted he did not want to talk about police investigations into Waithera’s death.
“I don’t want to say what the government is doing or what it’s not doing. That is not even near me. What I know: we were robbed. We were robbed of our love.
“I loved her so much. I love her and I’m devastated.” He said.
The family is seeking financial assistance to the tune of Sh700,000 for the burial of the 46-year-old set for this Friday.
