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Widow whose son jumped to his death recalls last moments


A single mother’s worst nightmare is to bury her first born son who took up the role of being a father to his younger siblings.

Mrs Winnie Mwangi, whose son Francis Maina Mwangi jumped to his death during the Sunday morning stampede at  Kikuyu Campus remembers him as cheerful.

When Nairobi News caught up with her at Chiromo mortuary during the post-mortem of her son, she could not hide her grief.

“I have suffered the biggest loss of my life, having lost my husband in 1998 and now my first born son,” she said.

The mother of three last spoke to Maina on phone a week before he met his death.

He assured his mother that he would help her replay a loan she recently took to build a house in Weithaga, Murang’a County.

“Maina used to work to raise his fees. To get his last year fees, he taught at Githumu High School,” she said.

Maina was a third year Bachelor of Education student. He jumped from his sixth floor room on Sunday morning when an underground electric cable exploded resulting to a stampede. Students thought it was terrorist attack.

He sat for KCSE examination at Weithaga Mixed Secondary in 2009 and scored a B – (minus).

He made a second attempt in 2010 and scored a B + (plus).

Emma Mwangi, 23 his younger sister remembers Maina as the brother who played the role of a father in her life.

“He was always protective of me as his younger sister, worked hard to support us financially and would call us every week just to ensure we were okay,” she said.

Maina’s friend Dickson Mwalimu described him as a reserved person who loved politics.

A spot check on his Facebook account revealed political interest as he followed keenly the student leaders elections held on Friday.

The university on Monday stated that it will support the family by paying part of the funeral expenses.