KDF hubby is my shield - Garissa attack survivor

A female student from Moi University who survived the April 2015 Garissa University College attack says she married a KDF soldier because she feels secure around him.

Maureen Manyengo, a second-year Bachelor of Education student majoring in English Literature spoke to Campus Vibe about the person she calls her ‘missing rib’.

Contrary to an earlier story that her husband Ivan Okello rescued her at the Garissa attack, Manyengo said they were dating way before the attack. Now, the 21-year-old lives in her husband’s home in Lanet.

“First, he is not the one who saved me. That was exaggerated,” she said.

“I was dating him before the attack. I only decided to get married to him after the attack,” she added.

According to Manyengo, while love was clearly existent, she felt peaceful next to him in light of the events that marred her stay at Garissa.

“I felt that I was secure when next to him, so I chose to get married to him after that. He is my shield and defender,” she told Campus Vibe.

While it is quite a task for students to balance chasing handouts, movies on flash disks and socialising, Manyengo says married life as a student works perfectly for her. She told Campus Vibe that she has settled and does not miss lectures. Her friends, she says, marvel at how she manages being a wife and a student at the same time.

“People long to know how I met him. That’s my story. But the best thing about my friends and colleagues is that they appreciate and wish me well,” she added.

“It’s about sacrifice both as a wife and a student. I manage it all,” said Manyengo