Fallen Red Cross rescuer Wanyonyi remembered as selfless hero

 

Joan Wanjiku (third right), the widow of the late KRCS Aqua Rescue volunteer Samuel Wanyonyi Wangila, views the body after the funeral service at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi on March 12, 2026.  [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

Tears, quiet reflection and heartfelt tributes filled the air at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi on Thursday as family, friends and colleagues from the Kenya Red Cross Society gathered to honour the life of Samuel Wanyonyi Wangila, who died while on a rescue mission.

Wangila lost his life on March 3 after being electrocuted during an operation in the Highrise area along the Mbagathi River, following a distress call reporting a young boy had drowned.

During the solemn memorial service, mourners described Wangila as a courageous and dependable rescuer who always answered the call to help others. His family remembered him as a responsible and loving father whose contribution to their well-being will endure forever.

“You became my companion, my strength and closest friend,” recalled his wife, Joan Wanjiku, .“You were a loving husband, devoted father and a man of strong faith. Though your absence leaves a deep pain in our hearts, I thank God for the years we shared and the love we built as a family,” she added.

The Kenya Red Cross described him as one of the organisation’s most experienced and dependable aqua rescue volunteers. According to the organisation, Wangila served communities across the country with courage and professionalism for over 15 years. “We honour his bravery and service. Wangila gave his life while attempting to help others, a true embodiment of humanity and selflessness,” said Kenya Red Cross Secretary-General Ahmed Idris.

He was recognised by the agency last year with the Special Coordination Award at the 2025 Volunteer Coordination Awards for his work in aqua rescue nationwide.

 

Kenya Red Cross Society personnel during the funeral service of KRCS Aqua Rescue volunteer Samuel Wanyonyi Wangila at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi on March 12, 2026. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]  

He also trained and mentored fellow volunteers in aqua rescue, equipping them with practical skills and the confidence to respond to disasters effectively. He was also a lifeguard at Wadi Degla Club. “His passing is not only a great loss for the Kenya Red Cross Society but for the wider humanitarian movement as well,” he added.

Dorothy Nkonge, Country Manager for the Danish Red Cross, also recalled some of the agency’s rescue missions that Wangila participated in, saying he was among those who saved lives in Mathare slums during the 2024 floods that left the country reeling. “He has also been training rescue teams in two slum areas in Mombasa. He was our lead trainer for the Aqua Rescue Teams,” she said. 

The mass presiding priest, Jackson Njoroge likened Mwangila’s “life to that of Jesus Christ, risking his life to save others until his demise.”