JOHN-ALLAN NAMU PAYS TRIBUTE TO LATE MOTHER GERTRUDE 

Journalist John-Allan Namu delivered a tribute to his late mother, Gertrude Wanjira Namu, during a requiem mass held in her honour. 

During the mass, Namu revealed that he had written a letter to his mother as her health declined, titled Time for Wanjira. The letter was both a celebration of her life and a farewell, “I can’t remember when it began, but I know that the first wave of your love reached me before my soul found a home in this body. You loved me before time began its march against us here on earth,” Namu wrote. 

He reflected on his mother’s timeless beauty, saying, “Every year you changed a little, aged a little, yet because God has been so kind to you, the changes were imperceptible to me. You have always been beautiful… your courage to keep going even when you stood alone showed me that love is a foundation of legacy.” 

He acknowledged the immense loss he feels but hopes in finding meaning over time. “This feeling will never leave me; I feel I will be hollowed out by your absence, but I trust that with time, I will understand why my heart must endure this.” 

In his tribute, Namu shared the impact of his mother’s love. “You have and will always love me. As one of your children, I have no choice but to love you. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. Your love is my window into understanding God’s love,” he noted.