'Goodbye mum!' Anyang Nyongo pays tribute to late mum

Piece by: Grace Kerongo
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Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o’s mother was eulogised as a selfless, generous person whose love for humanity knew no bounds.

Dorka Owino died on May 28 at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, six months short of hitting a century.

“The biggest lesson I learnt from my mother was to take care of the friends you make,” Nyong’o said while paying his tributes at St Stephens ACK church in Kisumu.

Owino’s body arrived in Kisumu on Wednesday aboard a Kenya Airways flight at 7am and the cortege proceeded to St Stephens Cathedral Milimani for a requiem mass.

Nyong’o said his mother's love for humanity led her to take under her wings underprivileged girls and ensure that they received a decent education.

 “Goodbye, mum. We loved you but where you are gone is where you really wanted to go,” Nyong’o said.  

Deputy Governor Mathews Owili said friends and family gathered to send Owino off revealed the kind of person she was while alive.

You only need to feel the love radiating from all gathered here to know that indeed you are in the presence of one truly special, Owili said.

“I was not privileged to have shared her table in Ratta that played host to many people of diverse walks of life, but I am truly honoured and blessed to be sharing the fruits of her handy work in my team leader Nyong'o and the greater family,” he said. 

After the mass at Kisumu, the cortege left for the Ratta family home in Seme sub-county.

There shall be another mass at St Paul’s ACK Ratta on Thursday with the final send-off rites performed on Friday.

ODM leader Raila Odinga said shortly after her death that Owino was a true matriarch and pillar of the Nyong'o family.

“She never stopped serving and guiding the family and the community she was part of despite her advancing years,” he said in a tweet. 

Raila said Owino leaves behind a legacy of remarkable leadership and a great heart.

“We are profoundly grateful for having known her. Our family will be forever grateful for the friendship we formed that has stood the test of time,” Raila said. 

-The Star