Glowing tribute by Orie Rogo Manduli’s daughter during requiem mass

Janice Rogo paying tribute to her mother Orie Rogo Manduli at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. [Standard]

Orie Rogo Manduli’s youngest daughter, Janice Rogo, paid a glowing tribute to her late mother on Tuesday, October 5.

Janice eulogised her mother as a “mighty lioness who anchored and loved me with every fibre of her being”.

The late former NGO Council chairperson’s daughter spoke at the All Saints Cathedral during the requiem mass of her mother.

“Mum loved us all fiercely, but never did we imagine that the mighty lioness, Agwambess, Tausi, Mama Safi, total woman, in a total constituency, with total needs, would one day be felled by the death of one of her cubs. What have I lost?” posed Janice.

“I never imagined that I would lose my beloved sister and precious mum in a span of two years.

“I have lost the person who gave birth to and anchored me, and loved me with every fibre of her being. It is further enforced when I hear people telling me: ‘your mum loved her children dearly’.

“I don’t know how I am going to make it tomorrow; my heart is broken, I want to gnash my teeth and haul from the depths of my being at the loss of the only woman I called mum. My loss is irreparable, my world is dim; that protecting, comforting voice has been silenced.

“I am at a loss as to how I am going to spend the rest of my days. Goodbye, mum; it is not well, it would never be.

“I cannot even be sure that your soul, or anyone else’s for that matter, rests in peace. In truth, that is what we say to comfort ourselves; we don’t really know.

“I know you are united with beloved ally, Georgey, your grandmother and grandfather. Know this, your legacy will live on to your remaining daughters because you have bred fighters; your cubs have now taken the mantle. I love you mum, I always will,” said Janice Rogo, in a tribute that moved congregants, who couldn’t help but clap.

Manduli’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth Rogo, who was hospitalised on September 26, was at the requiem mass after being discharged from the Nairobi Hospital.

Elizabeth’s hospitalisation prompted the postponement of Orie Rogo Manduli’s burial from October 2 to this coming Saturday, October 9.

Another requiem mass has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 6, from 2pm to 4pm at the St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church in Kisumu.

The late Orie Rogo Manduli will be buried on Saturday at her farm in Tondorie Estate in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County.

Manduli died at her Riverside home in Nairobi aged 73 on September 15.

She is survived by two daughters.