Yvonne Wamalwa's requiem mass to be held today

Yvonne Wamalwa, the wife of the late Vice President Kijana Wamalwa, died on January 25, 2017. [File, Standard]

A requiem mass for Yvonne Wamalwa, widow of former Vice President Wamalwa Kijana, will be held at the Consolata Shrine in Westlands, Nairobi, today.

The body of Yvonne, which is lying at Lee Funeral home, will be taken to the church at 2pm, according to members of the funeral committee.

Speaking to The Standard yesterday, committee chairman Musikari Kombo said all preparations were complete, and the burial would be held at the family's Milimani home in Kitale on Saturday.

Funeral plan

“After the mass, the body will be taken to the family home in Karen for an overnight stay. On Friday morning, it will be airlifted to Kitale for another overnight stay," said Mr Kombo, who is also a former Cabinet minister.

Kitale Catholic Bishop Maurice Crowley will lead the funeral mass of Yvonne, who died on January 25 while undergoing treatment at Nanyuki Cottage Hospital.

Bishop Crowley presided over the grand wedding of the Wamalwas in 2003 and later the funeral of the former vice president six months later.

When Mr Wamalwa was alive, he was a close friend of Bishop Crowley, who is now also the acting Eldoret Catholic Diocese bishop, following the death of Bishop Cornelius Korir last year.

During Wamalwa's wedding, Kombo was the best man and Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, the secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), was one of the groomsmen.

The bishop confirmed to The Standard that he will lead the funeral service of the late Yvonne, who served as the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UNHABITAT and later deputy High Commissioner to Australia.

“The Wamalwas were very close friends of mine and members of my congregation. I was among the first people the late VP introduced to Yvonne, before they tied the knot. It is sad that I will be presiding over her funeral after doing the same to her husband who was a personal friend,” he said.

According to the bishop, the funeral programme will start at 10am and they expect to lay Yvonne to rest at 2pm.

Top leaders from both the Government and Opposition are expected to attend.

Befitting send-off

On Saturday, during a press briefing at the family home in Karen, Deputy Head of Civil Service Wanyama Musiambo, who was accompanied by leaders from Western Kenya, said the State will work closely with the family of the fallen diplomat to accord her a befitting send-off.

Present at the home were Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe, former Vihiga Governor Moses Akaranga and former Cabinet ministers Noah Wekesa and Chris Okemo, among other leaders.