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Even as Joyce Ong’ombe fights for her life at the burns unit at the Kenyatta National Hospital, tragedy has again struck the family after her only surviving daughter succumbed to the burns she sustained while they were on holiday in Mombasa.

Joyce lost her husband, George Ochieng Ooko and her two children on April 5, 2010 when their vehicle was swept away at Duka Moja, Narok County.

For over 14 years, Joyce Ongombe performed the delicate role of being a single parent to her only surviving daughter, Georgina Ooko.

According to neighbours in Ngong, Joyce would joke that she would be their caretaker every December whenever they travelled to their rural homes.

“This year was different. She chose to bond with her daughter in Mombasa,” a neighbor said.

Disaster struck

Sadly, as they were preparing to usher in the new year in Mombasa where they had gone for December holidays, disaster again struck, and the two were airlifted to Nairobi where they are now fighting for their lives at the KNH.

The daughter died yesterday even as Joyce continues to fight for her life at the same facility.

The two were in the kitchen when the boiler exploded. Joyce sustained about 53 percent burns while the daughter 63 percent. They were rushed to Premier Hospital when only Joyce was conscious, and they were later airlifted to Nairobi.

“It is with deep sorrow that we report the untimely passing of Georgina Ooko early this morning at the Burns Unit of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Georgina, a devoted member of SDA Lavington and a bright student at Alliance Girls High School, had been undergoing treatment after suffering severe water burns during a recent incident in Mombasa,” Elder Ken Oduor told members yesterday.

“Despite the tireless efforts of the medical team, she succumbed to her injuries in the early hours of today. Her passing comes as a devastating shock to her family, friends, and all who knew her,” he added.

The first tragedy struck the family in 2010 when, after spending quality time in their rural home in Migori county, the husband left home for Nairobi, accompanied by their two children, Baby Angelicah Adhiambo Ooko and Baby John Otieno Ooko.

Joyce and her last born who died yesterday, remained at home and were to join them later in Nairobi.

As she bid them farewell, little did she know that was the last day she was seeing the husband and her children alive.

Lecturer

Since then, the Financial Advisor with Britam Insurance Company (Uganda) Ltd and also a lecturer at Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) has struggled single handedly to bring up their only surviving daughter.

Those who know Joyce say behind the soft and ever smiling face, was a strong woman who had suffered a serious loss that she would live with for the rest of her life.

She had once indicated that she decided to hide her pain of losing her husband and children, in books. She also dedicated her Masters of Business Administration at the University of Nairobi to her late children.

“This project is dedicated to my late children who journeyed on with their father, Baby Angelicah Adhiambo Ooko and Baby John Otieno Ooko for whom I decided to hide the pain of losing them in the books,” she wrote.

According to Joyce, her further studies at the UoN were only possible due to the encouragement and support of her friends, sisters and “the patience of my daughter Georgina Aluoch Ooko whose survival gives me a reason to live.”