Controversial to the end, Wambui prepared her grave

By Ally Jamah

Controversial freedom fighter Wambui Otieno, who passed away on Tuesday in Nairobi, will be buried in a grave she prepared 22 years ago in Matasia, Ng’ong.

Wambui at the gravesite 22 years ago.

The grave made of concrete is at the entrance to the mausoleum she built in memory of her late husband, Silvano Otieno, a former leading criminal lawyer who died on December 20, 1986.

A plaque overlooking the grave dated December 20, 1989, reads: "I, Wambui Otieno, hereby declare that I shall be laid to rest in this enclosed ground when I eventually die to guard this memorial to my late husband S M, even in death."

"Wambui prepared her resting place exactly three years after her husband died. She, perhaps, wanted to avoid burial controversies that characterised her husbands’ death," said Nicholas Muema, the caretaker of the family home in Matasia.

The grave is located inside the six-acre land that alsohouses a three-bedroom family house, which Wambui visited occasionally, but not frequently.

"She used to visit the mausoleum at least once a month. I think she loved her late husband so much and wanted to keep him close to her memory," he added.

Her late husband’s mausoleum contains a coffin but without the remains. The husband was buried in Nyalgunga, Nyamira village, in Siaya after a protracted legal battle between Wambui and the Umira Kager clan.

The plaque on the mausoleum read: "S M, your widow Wambui and your descendants for generations to come will continue to love you."

Yesterday, at the Matasia home, workers were sprucing up the expansive compound, perhaps, in preparation for the expected huge number of visitors and mourners on the burial day that will be announced by the family later.

Her Ngong home caretaker at the site on Wednesday. Photo: Courtesy and Asutsa Govedi/Standard

No regrets

Wambui’s decision to fix her burial place, contrary to common practice among Kenyans, will cement her reputation as a single-minded woman, who would not flinch from controversy.

It builds on her decision to enter the fight against British colonialists, marry a man not from her community at a time when it was difficult to do so and to marry a man 42 years her junior, all done with no regrets for what others would say of her.

At their Karen home, the current husband of Wambui, Peter Mbugua, and other family members were receiving visitors who were streaming in to join in the mourning of the fallen politician.

Speaking to The Standard, a sorrowful looking Mbugua couldn’t conceal his deep grief as he narrated about the death of his wife of eight years.

"This is, perhaps, the most painful day in my life. Wambui has been sickly for several years, but the sickness worsened in the last four months until God decided to take her to Himself," he narrated.

"God is the one who gives life and also the one who takes it away. There is very little for us as a family to do except to accept the will of God. It is difficult for us, but we are trying our best," he said.

Asked about his life with the freedom fighter whose marriage in July 2003 kicked up a storm of debate among Kenyans due to the age difference, Mbugua said: "She was a very loving woman. She loved me a lot. I also loved her so much. We lived together without conflicts. She was a very understanding and big-hearted woman."

‘Love sustained us’

Then, Mbugua was 25 while his bride was 67 years.

Mbugua said their love was not based on the opinions of other people but what they felt inside their hearts, a bond that held them together since 2003.

In February this year, the two held a second wedding ceremony at St Andrew’s Church in Nairobi in a religious ceremony. The 2003 wedding was a civil one.

"I will miss Wambui a lot and remember her love and understanding that sustained us during the difficult times. I pray God to rest her soul in eternal peace," he said.