Naivas mourns as Monicah Wanjiru, wife of ex-chairman, dies

Monica Wanjiru Gashwe, the wife of former Naivas Supermarkets chairman Simon Mukuha. She has died in Nairobi after a battle with cancer. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Sources on Tuesday told the Nation that Wanjiru has had a long-drawn battle with cancer.

  • The cancer was found to be at an advanced stage and the doctors advised that she be put under palliative care back home.

Tragedy has yet again struck the family of the late Naivas Supermarkets chairman Simon Gashwe Mukuha, who died last month. His wife Monicah Wanjiru succumbed to cancer at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi where she had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for two weeks.

Naivas Supermarkets MD David Kimani told the Nation in a phone interview yesterday that Wanjiru had been suffering from cancer for long and that she had been in and out of hospitals both in Kenya and abroad.

At the time of her death, she was 58 years-old.

“Ms Wanjiru, who was the wife to my late brother Simon Gashwe, passed away yesterday at Aga Khan Hospital where she had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit where she had been battling cancer,” said Mr Kimani.

“She will be buried this Thursday at Lang’ata Cemetery where her husband was buried too last month,” added the Naivas MD without divulging further details, only noting that her death was a big blow to the family coming a few weeks after they lost their brother.

An industry source and a close friend to the Naivas family told Nation in confidence, since he is not authorised to speak to the media on behalf of the family, that Wanjiru has had a long-drawn battle with cancer, a fight that saw her husband Mukuha take her to India for further medication attention on different occasions and her deteriorating situation affected him and he later died of stroke at Aga Khan Hospital

“The late Simon Gashwe was deeply affected by the poor health of his wife and on different occasions accompanied her to India seeking cancer treatment hoping her situation would improve. Unfortunately, the situation never improved and the doctors referred them back home,” said the source

Mukuha died last month at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi where he was undergoing treatment for stroke but later suffered a heart attack that claimed his life.

Wanjiru leaves behind four children; Charles Mukuha, Joseph Ngugi, Mercy Waithira and Robert Kago.

Naivas directors are David Kimani who owns 25 per cent stake, late Simon Gashwe who owned 25 per cent, Linet Wairimu (15), Grace Wambui (15) and their late father Peter Mukuha Kago (20).