Family mourns mother of four killed at Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay

Noureen Nalwanga, popularly known as Nya Uganda, died while receiving treatment, becoming one of two people who lost their lives during the political violence in Homa Bay, while scores of others sustained injuries.

At Shauri Yako Estate in Homa Bay Town, friends and relatives gathered at Nalwanga’s home to mourn the mother of four.

Nalwanga had spent most of Sunday indoors, following the unfolding events in Homa Bay on television. But as politicians made their way into the town in the evening, she left home after hearing reports of looting, hoping to check on the belongings that provided her with a livelihood.

“Mama aliskia kuna looting inafanyika tao, so alienda ku-confirm vitu zake. So dakika kidogo nikaambiwa ati aligongwa na gari,” said Sly Steward, Nalwanga’s son.

Her friend, Jackeline Adhiambo, said Nalwanga had warned her to stay away from the town after calling her earlier that evening.

“Alinipigia simu kitu saa kumi na mbili na nusu, akaniambia ati town ni kubaya, nikae kwa nyumba. Kufika kitu saa mbili, simu ikakuja tena ati amekufa. Nilishangaa sana,” Adhiambo said.

Nalwanga was a widow and the sole breadwinner for her four children. Her death has now left the children without a mother and the family facing uncertainty over her burial.

Relatives stated that Nalwanga’s late husband’s family has distanced itself from the burial arrangements, raising the possibility that her body could be taken to Uganda, where she was born.

“The guy who came said that in their family they have problems, so for us we have to take the body back to Uganda. We said it is okay, we do not have any problem, but we need help,” said Kigwana Nicholus, Nalwanga’s uncle.

Dennis Otieno, a friend of the deceased, said the family had initially travelled to Homa Bay to attend the burial before deciding to take the body back to Uganda.

“Walikuwa wamekuja kuhudhuria mazishi, lakini wamekuatana na ile yenye imewakuta, and now they have to carry the body back to Uganda, where the lady was born,” Otieno said.

As the dust slowly settles on the events that rocked Homa Bay, Nalwanga’s family is left to bear the ultimate cost of political violence.

Four children have been orphaned, while the political class trades accusations over what happened. For Nalwanga’s family, the casket carries not only the remains of a mother, but also a painful reminder of the human cost of Kenya’s increasingly charged political environment.