Mariam El Maawy's body to be flown home

What you need to know:

  • Al-Shabaab shot and injured the principal secretary in the shoulder and on legs after abducting her at Milihoi area on the Mpeketoni-Lamu road.

  • Ms Maawy was flown to South Africa for treatment following an attack by Al-Shabaab.

  • She will be laid to rest at the Lang’ata Cemetery in Nairobi on Friday.

The body of Principal Secretary for Public Works Mariam El Maawy will be flown into the country from South Africa Thursday.

Ms Maawy’s body will land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in the evening and will be received by her relatives, according to the family spokesperson Mohammed Ali.

The PS will be laid to rest at Lang’ata Cemetery on Friday, Mr Ali said.

Ms Maawy was flown to South Africa for treatment following an attack by Al-Shabaab.

Mr Ali said she had spent two months in South Africa undergoing treatment before she breathed her last on Wednesday.

ATTACK

The militants shot the PS in the shoulder and on legs after abducting her at Milihoi on the Mpeketoni-Lamu road.

Four people, among them her 21-year-old nephew, Arif Kassim, a trainee a trainee pilot, her driver Godana Borani, an Administration Police bodyguard Ayub Ole Ndoloni and a civilian died in the attack.

The PS was rescued by a joint team of the Kenya Defence Forces and the General Service Unit.

During the attack, the militia took control of the Principal Secretary’s vehicle which had six occupants and sped off into a thicket.

A military helicopter followed the vehicle and managed to rescue the PS.

MOURNING

Meanwhile, Lamu leaders continue to mourn her death terming it  as a big blow to the region.

Lamu Governor Fahim Twaha mourned her as diligent, dedicated woman who had a large heart for her people and her nation.

Mr Twaha said the late PS was a role model to girls in Lamu and was dedicated in her duties of serving the government.

“We are saddened by the sudden death of our own. Many looked up to her in a lot of ways. She was a polite and humble person who feared God. May Allah rest her in eternal peace,” said Mr Twaha.

DEDICATED

In her condolence message, Wiper Democratic Movement Deputy Party Leader and former Lamu Women Representative Shakilla Abdalla eulogised El Maawy as a committed individual who was dedicated to serve all despite and irrespective of political affiliations.

“ She was outstanding in her commitment to our county and country at large. She played critical roles in the development of Lamu and rendered selfless services to serving the entire Kenya,” said Ms Shakila.

Mourners who assembled at her Lamu home in Mkomani area in Lamu town said her death has left a void that would forever never be filled.