‘I’m dying sis,’ Kunguru’s last words to the sister, Irene Onguru – Kenya Satellite News Network

The untimely passing of Kunguru, a Kenyan artist and philanthropist, has left a vacuum in the hearts of his loved ones, friends, and admirers.

On March 29, his family had a funeral service at the Montezuma and Monalisa Funeral Home.

The gentle spirit that had impacted so many lives was remembered by a number of friends and former classmates from college.

Irene Onguru, Kunguru’s sister, shared some of her greatest memories with her brother while attending the funeral. She also accompanied him to the three hospitals where the late artist was admitted.

She said that Kunguru paid her school fees from high school to college level and ensured that her life at school was smooth.

Irene noticed that her brother was ailing when his skin colour suddenly changed to pale during Christmas last year. This led to his journey in and out of hospitals to treat his liver complications.

“I asked him, what is wrong Eric? I just left the other day and you were okay, what has happened? He didn’t face me but he told me, ‘Irene, I’m dying’. I thought it was a joke but she repeated it three times. I thought Eric was joking,” Irene said.

Kunguru’s brother, Michael Ouma, described him as the unity in their family, and the two of them were frequently involved in making family decisions.

“Anything to do with confrontations, I can attest, Eric was not confrontational…if he was not happy with any family decision, he could switch off and that would be the end.”

Speaking on behalf of bankers who attended the burial and collaborated with Kunguru in the banking industry, StanChart’s Edith Chumba characterized Kunguru as a formidable seller in his early years in the industry.

She recounted the instances when Kunguru would want an explanation for going outside while complaining of agony brought on by his diabetes.

“Sometimes we could in a meeting and he tells me, ‘Boss, just one minute’, and then he goes [outside] and when he comes back, he had no strength but he held on. I would have fired Eric five years ago…but his health, I saw in his heart that he wanted to do this, because when Eric was okay, he worked his heart out,” Ms Chumba said.