"When I die, I would wish to take full responsibility for any of my behaviour. I would want my mother to break down and say; truly I accept my daughter died as a child of God."
Ellen Mariaka posted these words on her Facebook page on January 11, 2023.
Three months later, on April 11, 2023, 5am, Mariaka died at Nyanchwa Mission Hospital Kisii, six hours after delivering her second child through Caesarean.
And true to her words, her mum was there to cry out for her cherished daughter. The father too was there crying uncontrollably over their lost treasure.
Mariaka had written: "For the sake of my mother, my role model, the woman who raised me for 17 years of close watch before letting me off to join University. May God help me to be a good girl just for her sake?"
She continued: "One time I will die, and of course, it's normal that we will die.... Bitter truth. I don't want my Mother to break down in tears in front of cameras, denying any of my past behaviour and character while I was alive. I would wish to take full responsibility for any of my behaviour."
She said: "Just for her, may God help me to be a good girl, my mother has sacrificed a lot for me to be where I am."
On April 4, 2023 at 10pm, Seven days before she died, she posted, "If you are given a mic in Heaven to tell of your tribulations, what will you say? I struggled with tea, coffee, meat, Coca-Cola were a challenge to me? When some will say I was hanged upside down, was thrown into the lion's den, some in the fire furnace, my head was chopped off, how will we fare well with them?"
At the morgue, her parents hugged the lifeless body before releasing it to the cold cabinets.
Her husband Ezra Obiero, mourned his late wife saying, "Standing next to your lifeless body is one of the most painful experiences I have ever gone through in my life. You exiting the stage without giving me notes on how to take care of our boys makes it worse. Go well my lovely wife."
Mariaka's friend, Vanice Abebe said, "Sad she didn't survive in the delivery room. In this century we should not be losing mothers while giving birth."
The family said they were likely to take legal action against the hospital for what they termed as negligence.
"Our daughter was taken into theatre twice, all this time, from 11pm to 5am, the hospital didn't find it fit to call for a consultant to help save the life of our dear one," family spokesperson said.
The infant was referred to Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital New Born Unit.
Mariaka's death caused furry among a number of social media users and her Kisii New Life SDA Church members and colleagues who, together used to sing at the Christ Adoration Ministries Kisii.
Efforts to get a comment from the hospital were futile.
