Picking up the pieces: How the '98 bomb blast robbed me of my soul mate
Alice Nyambura. Insert a photo of Alice Nyambura with her husband Joseph Baragu.
If Alice Nyambura could have one wish, it would be to bring back her husband, who died 25 years ago in the 1998 bomb blast.
Her husband, Joseph Baragu, had left to try his luck at getting a job in the city to improve their lives. But this would be the last time Mrs Nyambura would see her husband.
"Death is very cruel, if love was enough to bring my husband back, I would have done it 25 years ago," laments Mrs Nyambura with tears in her eyes.
"My husband and I have been together since 1955 and on that fateful day, as usual, I made his favourite snack of nduma and tea, with a beaming smile he gave me a kiss and he rushed out with his very first vehicle," she says.
When he arrived in Nairobi, her late husband called to tell her that he had arrived safely. Little did she know that that was the last time she would hear his voice.
The next call Ms Nyambura received was to inform her of his death.
"Despite many day have passed by it does not get easier. I am still mourning the loss of my greatest support and happiness, as all I have left are the sweet memories we shared," says Ms Nyambura.
Joseph and Alice met in their early teens at a community dance. Their eyes met across the room and it was as if time stood still.
"My late husband was a talented musician, on the night we met he was playing the piano and he could not resist the charm of my smile, so he approached me," she says, blushing.
His persistence in wooing her with love songs he had composed especially for her left Alice with no choice but to fall for his charms.
"Things escalated and in four months when my husband made it official with the elders, where we both had to hold the arm of a cow and cut the joint to officially become one," she says.
Their courtship was filled with shared dreams and late night conversations. Joseph would serenade Alice with love songs he composed just for her, while Alice would always prepare his favourite dishes for him.
"I miss how we danced in the living room, our steps a little slower but our hearts as joyful as ever, holding each other's hands as we watched the sunset together," Ms Nyambura recalls.
She believes their love was a testament to the power of companionship, resilience and deep connection.
The only thing she hates is that her husband had to leave without her as life became harder with the 12 children she was left with.
"We fought like any other couple, but music was our therapy. I miss him every day, but I am sure he would be so proud of how I handle everything. May his soul continue to rest in peace," said Ms Nyambura.