John Maina Gakuo

We remember you Dad

 (1950-2018)

“There are special people in our lives who never leave us, even after they are gone.”— D. Morgan

Dad, you are that special person to us; exactly one year ago, a day like today, the Lord called you home, but the memories you gave us are still etched in our hearts. It was sudden. No good byes No hints. Just like that, death snatched you from us The father we dearly loved and honoured. Days have turned to months and now a year. Not a single day passes by that we don’t think about you.

We thank God for the time we shared with you; though brief, we would never trade those moments for anything. They are precious. Invaluable. We wish we could turn back the clock and re-live them. One year on, we look back and thank God. He has been gracious to us. He has protected us, continues to heal our grieving souls and be the father he promises to be in his holy word. For this, we thank him and are truly grateful. Though we do not understand why you had to leave us that soon, his will is best. So today we celebrate you Dad. We honour you our father, friend, our hero and our mentor. Though with sadness in our hearts, we remember you with pride. At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. In this journey, we have not been alone. We have had friends and family rekindling our spark. Therefore, we would like to extend a hand of gratitude to all that have held our hand and walked with us.

We wish to thank H.E Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko. Thank you for your immense support. You were at hand to comfort us in our grief. Thank you. The Staff and Management of Nairobi County; thank you for the love, support and dedication you accorded to us as we mourned our dear father. We are truly grateful. Hon. Maina Kamanda; thank you for being a strong pillar during our darkest moment. Mr. Joseph Kaguthi; thank you for ‘wearing’ dad’s shoes. You held our hands, carried our pain in your heart and grieved with us. Thank you. Former Nairobi Mayor Joe Aketch and former Town Clerk Philip Kisia; thank you for being true friends to dad and to us, his children: The County Government and Security Committee of Nyandarua; thank you for your immense support in ensuring we gave dad a beautiful send off. Dear ‘Mama Ciru’ (Catherine Wanjiku Kariuki), words are not enough to describe your kindness. You have continued to be the ‘wind beneath our wings’. You are ‘our mother’ whom we can run to for comfort and solace. Thank you. Professor Karanja, thank you for being at hand to ensure dad’s sendoff was seamless and a great success. God bless you for your big heart. Special thank you to the Ngingo’s and Makallah’s, the Maa community in Kilgoris, friends, colleagues and the clergy both of All Saints Cathedral and Olkalou for your prayers and immense support.

While it may not be possible to thank each of you, we are truly grateful, Your presence and support during our darkest moment was and is truly appreciated. May God truly bless you all abundantly.

Your children; Lawrence, Lilian and Hannah, daughter in-love Ruth, grandchildren; Matthew, Andrew, Tristan and Justin

Rest in peace Dad, until we meet at the feet of Jesus.