Mandera Massacre: Tutor's last request to wife before ill-fated journey

"Please pray for me before you sleep tonight." These were the last words Jackson Kipchirchir Kipserem, 28, said to his wife on the day he was to leave Mandera for his Kapkonga home in Elgeyo Marakwet County.

Mr Kipchirchir, who had worked as a teacher at Mandera Academy for only three months, was among 28 Kenyans who were brutally killed on Saturday by Al-Shabaab terrorists.

Granice Jelagat, his wife of one year, is yet to come to terms with her husband's untimely death, saying he had not even enjoyed his first salary.

"I am shocked beyond comprehension because he was a beacon of hope and a breadwinner for our young family and his siblings," said Ms Jelagat.

Kipchirchir left behind a nine-month-old daughter. Jelagat said their daughter was six months old when her father left home and he was very focused and optimistic about the future.

She said her husband, a trained medical engineer, had gone to Mandera in August to look for a job after failing to find one in Elgeyo Marakwet County.

She said their parents were peasant farmers and her husband had not received a certificate from Eldoret Polytechnic, where he studied, because of fees arrears. He had gone to Mandera to earn money to enable him clear the fees.

"In August, a family friend who is also a teacher in Mandera urged my husband to join him instead of sitting idle at home so he could get something to support the family," she said.

postponed journey

She said as schools closed for the December holidays, her husband was scheduled to come home on November 12 but he postponed the journey four times.

"On November 12, the bus company where he had booked a ticket said he had to wait a little longer because their vehicles were overbooked. Another vehicle had only back seats available and he opted to wait for another one," she said.

Jelagat talked with him until 9pm when she slept, hoping to hear from her husband the following morning (Saturday).

"But when I called him the next morning over five times, his phone was off and I thought maybe it was a network problem on the way," she recalled.

At 4pm, several people including area chief visited her. Little did she know the team had come to break bad news.

"I pleaded with them to tell me if something bad had happened to my husband. Then my legs became weak and I collapsed," she said.

The visiting team broke the sad news of the attack, adding that her husband was among the victims.

The family now wants the Government to meet the burial costs and also compensate the victims' families.