Janet Kanini- Ikua's memorial service is ongoing at the Nairobi Baptist Church in Nairobi before her funeral tomorrow in Naro Moru.

Her mother, Dr Margaret Muiva wrote a moving tribute in the programme.

Here, you can read it...

Although my daughter Kanini has gone to be with her eternal  Father, I remain with fond memories of her journey here on earth for the days God gave her to us.

Kanini’s early life

Janet was born on 14/1/1978 and we named her Kanini after my mother Mary Kanini and that is the name I use for her. As she grew up, Kanini was a very energetic child full of play, laughter and the desire to do something different. I remember her coming home and saying she wants to learn ballet dancing

while we wanted her to go swimming.

She had no difficulties with her schoolwork but while in secondary school, she disliked the strict controls on what parents should bring to school for the child to eat – a packet of ‘Marie’ biscuits during visiting days at the Precious Blood Secondary.

When in Form 2 (career choice making period), during a family supper, Kanini told her dad, mum and sisters that while all were pursuing studies/careers in health/medicine, she wanted to pursue a different line – hotel management at post-secondary education. We convinced her to join Kenyatta University (KU) for Bachelor of Education in Home Economics as an alternative to her chosen course of Hotel management.

While at KU she developed an interest in the Travelling Theatre which surprised us but we supported it as long as it was an area of interest to her. After graduation from KU, we expected her to take up teaching and were happy her former school (Precious Blood) offered her a position but she turned it down to pursue acting in theatre. Since she lived with us all through even after her tertiary education and up till her marriage, she kept informing us of the exciting experiences at different places and in different TV programmes. 

Kanini’s mid-life

Kanini was full of surprises and on Easter Monday of 2007, she came home that evening and stretching out her fingers for us to see, told us “mum, dad, I’m engaged and we plan to get married on 7th March 2008”.

As time moved on however, their father became unwell and was on treatment untill we got the shock of our lives on 15th June 2007 when a confirmation of cancer of the lungs was made at age 65. This shocked us all in the family as we knew he had never smoked a cigarette in his life. With commencement of cancer therapy, his health status was rapidly deteriorating. He would thus frequently

tell Kanini, “And just in case I’m not there your ‘Uncle …..’“, to which Kanini in her joyful, firm but encouraging manner would immediately cut him short - “Tata (Kamba for daddy), I told you that you are to walk me down the aisle”, and this would close that conversation. May I say in short that through Kanini’s encouragement and inspiration with these words, her father held on and did indeed walk her down the aisle, though on a wheel chair and with an oxygen concentrator on his lap on that Friday 7th March 2008.

However, his condition deteriorated and exactly 14 days after, that is on 21st March 2008, I was called at 6am to go to Mater Hospital where we had taken him for treatment a few days earlier, only to find that

he had gone to his Maker.

We were all broken-hearted but Kanini in particular kept calling him and touching him as if to wake him up. Her husband George supported her through this difficult time in her life which was hard for her, given her close relationship with her father. We could only encourage her and thanks to God, she gradually outlived the experience.

 Life after the demise of her father

Kanini’s family life was happy as God blessed them with two dear children whom she adored while it gave us joy. This was so till the Easter of Sunday 2015 when I had invited all my family to our home in Machakos, where we noted that Kanini was complaining of leg pains but she had shunned it off as “arthritic pains in the family”.

However, with some of us being in the medical field, we urged her to be seen immediately on getting back to Nairobi, and truly, she was diagnosed with Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) a condition for which she became an ambassador, in the process of treatment, to educate other women. We worried about her but she laughed about her illness; however, together with her husband George, they sought further treatment in India.

While in India, on 15th September 2015, while talking to her on Skype, I noticed a dressing on her neck and knew she had had a biopsy. On enquiring, Kanini in a light manner, talked of their doctor telling them about diagnosis of an Adenocarcinoma of the lung (cancer of the lungs) which had started spreading.

I immediately, that evening and alone in my house, re-lived her late father’s experience, but Kanini in her usual manner of looking at life positively, told me “Mummy, this will not be like Tata’s”, which gave me some courage to continue living positively. Kanini was not a person to despair quickly. 

While George and Kanini were away in India for those two weeks, the two children appeared miserable whenever I went to visit them. I applied for an urgent leave from work so as to travel to India to be with Kanini as she commenced cancer treatment and release her husband George to come back and

be with the children. Kanini did not like the effects of the chemotherapy on her body but after each treatment cycle, she would be back to her joyful self until the next cycle.

Though our funds were limited, Kanini in her encouraging and hopeful manner despite her illness, often told me “Mummy do not worry, I trust that God will provide and things will work out”. We kept praying about it as she concentrated on her computer write-ups on Facebook.

God works wonders in people’s lives if one asks, trusts and believes. This we have experienced in Kanini’s illness journey till today as doors just opened. In India, a Kenyan family called us and took us into their home for some time. From what was happening in Kenya, she would tell me about the positive response by persons she didn’t know as fundraising began.

Consequently, she was able to undertake her treatment both in India and continue here in Kenya for which we can, first and foremost thank God for and secondly, all Kenyans locally and abroad who willingly contributed whatever amount they could. We said then and continue to say a big THANK YOU to all.

The support shown further helped uphold her positive spirit during the healing process, a time that she chose to listen to and help other Kenyans suffering from Cancer, in whatever she could. Thus she established the Kanini for Africa Foundation.

More recently Kanini’s health condition suddenly changed in February 2017 and although she was frail, her strong will to live was evident. That gave me encouragement that her health would improve but as it has turned out to be, God’s plans were different.

In conclusion, Kanini throughout her life portrayed a life full of great joy, courage, and resilience even when situations appeared to be complex and a threat to her life. She had a strong sense of determination, willpower and conviction in what she believed in and that it would work out successfully.

She trusted in God’s power and didn’t want anyone to show doubt. Janet was a visionary person with clear projections for the future, and a very caring person. As her mother, I will miss her physical presence but good memories of her will keep me going. I thank the Almighty God for giving her to us to live with for those 39 years of joy and courage.

My Dear Daughter Kanini, Do Rest In Peace. Amen.