Tearful Meru set to bid slain doctor bye

Sometime tomorrow, a hearse will leave St Teresa’s Mission Hospital in Meru and embark on a journey of hundreds of kilometres.

The hearse will be heading to Kisii County to take the body of Dr Albert Obiri home. This will be the renowned surgeon’s last journey.

The sad event will mark the end of Obiri’s over 13 years stay in Meru, where he rose to prominence courtesy of his scalpel.

Obiri’s death almost a fortnight ago has left Meru in tears and disbelief.

The county is yet to come to terms with his untimely demise in the hands of bloodthirsty criminals who carjacked him at the gate of his house on May 19, murdered him and left his body deep inside Naari Forest.

Those who knew the surgeon say  he was a gifted man who somehow managed to touch the hearts of most people he interacted with. Perhaps that is why he is being mourned by all and sundry in Meru. He had worked in the county since 1999 and locals regarded him as one of their foremost sons.

Senior surgeon

Obiri was a senior surgeon at the Meru Hospital and the proprietor of the Southlands Medical Clinic in Meru town.

To underline just how attached he was to the county, all the masses held to remember him were attended by people from all walks of life: From those whose lives he saved to local residents who had heard about his good deeds, his professional colleagues, friends and relatives.

Funeral services were held at the Meru Prison, Meru Level 5 Hospital and the Catholic Cathedral, where tearful people recalled their encounters with him at the operating table, social functions and other places.

Father Peter Lepren who conducted the wedding ceremony between Obiri and his widow, Miriam, told the audience that the doctor possessed great humility and that he was a hard working person who was always willing to go the extra mile to ensure his patients were well cared for.

“He made many people live, he saved so many. We pray for men who did this evil, who robbed Meru of an excellent surgeon, a man who saved us,” Lepren told mourners gathered at a funeral mass at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), Meru.

His distraught family said the going has been tough since Obiri died.

 “My daughter and I could not find sleep but I told her we had to heal, deal with it. So we sat on the bed and wrote a letter to his killers. She did a page and I, two,” said Miriam Obiri, the surgeon’s widow.

Miriam told the murderers: “Yes, you scored some goals in early part of the match but you are not winners   because I know daktari loves God and he is resting in peace with his Maker. He didn’t deserve this kind of death, he didn’t deserve to be in the state he was in his last moments.”

The principal of the KMTC Meru, Andrew Mwirichia said Obiri was his family’s surgeon, and a long-time friend whom he will dearly miss.

“He was humble and shy and has been good to our college, even being instrumental in procuring musical instruments for the students. As a surgeon, he has never let us down,” said Mwirichia.

 “It is just so hard to believe he would not be with us any more. He had one of those extraordinary personalities, always willing to advise and help students and colleagues,” said Joy Gitonga, a student.

His children were full of praise for their father. Obiri’s daughter Nelly Kerubo, a student at the Catholic University, moved the audience when she rose to speak and calmly said: “I am sure my dad is in Heaven, because I believe he is a saint.” His other daughter, eighteen-year-old Joan Mochama, a law student, said: “My Father was a great man and I thank all who have supported us during this period.”

 At the KMTC, tearful students, held a mass, and eulogised their mentor through song and poems.

Meru Governor Peter Munya, while addressing the crowd during the Madaraka Day celebrations on Sunday at Kinoru Stadium also paid tribute to Obiri.

“We are saddened by the death of our renowned doctor, Obiri. The police will work to find the murderers.”

Kind heart

He helped patients who had no money, because he had a kind heart and people’s health came first, money was a last consideration in his work.

Mourners told stories about how he either helped someone in need, made them laugh even while in pain. Beneficiaries of his services and the medical fraternity in Meru said his death was a big blow to the community.

“He was one of our most dependable surgeons and he had a heart for people, especially people who are underprivileged,” said Dr Elias Nyaga, the medical superintendent.

As Obiri’s body leaves Meru for the last time, it is apparent that name will be treasured and remembered for a long time.

Plans are under way to immortalise him by naming a facility at the hospital after him.