Baby Satrin’s brother wins Jubilee’s Samaritan award

By Standard Reporter

Nairobi, Kenya: Jubilee Insurance has named Moses Gift Osinya, brother to baby Satrin Osinya, as one of the overall winners of the April Samaritan Award.

Gift, who was a victim of a recent terror attack in a Kilifi church, has been awarded for his inexplicable bravery in rescuing his brother during the heinous act. Their mother was killed in the attack while shielding baby Satrin. A bullet tore through her and into Satrin’s head. The bullet was successfully removed at Kenyatta National Hospital.

The Standard Seven student carried his injured brother out of the scene and took him to hospital using a matatu. The judges described his selfless deed as admirable especially for a 13-year-old.

Gift was named alongside Mzee Job Kipkech, a Mogotio resident who has helped tortoises cross the busy Mogotio highway since 1958. The reptiles cross the road every day from time to time in search of water on one side and vegetation on the other. 

Kipkech, who is fondly referred to as the tortoise by his neighbours, started this humane act at 21 years.

“Mzee Kipkech’s actions may seem like a drop in the ocean but it is worth noting that at a time when the country is grappling with the poaching menace, Kipkech has devoted his life to saving the little he can,” said Jubilee Insurance Samaritan Award Chief Judge Ezekiel Mutua, who is also Information Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Humming bird

Other judges were Andy Kagwa of The Standard Group, Patrick Wachira of Mediamax Group, Eric Shimoli of the Nation Media Group, Hussein Muhammed of Royal Media Services and Francis Openda of The Star.

In the words of the late Wangari Maathai, Mutua further described Kipkech as “the humming bird of our time”.

Mogotio is highly populated by the leopard tortoise, the hunchback tortoise and the endangered pancake tortoise species.

 According to the Kenya Wildlife Service, poachers killed 51 elephants and 18 rhinos in Kenya in the first quarter of this year. In 2012 Kenya lost 302 elephants and 52 rhinos to poaching, compared to 384 elephants and 30 rhinos in 2011.

Established in 2006, the Jubilee Insurance Samaritan Award (JISA) seeks to reward outstanding and selfless deeds carried out by humble individuals. It encourages Kenyans to be mindful of the welfare of the less fortunate in the society.