'I have nothing left': Mwihoko crash leaves woman in shattered silence

Grieving mother Mercy Nafula/LEAH MUKANGAI

Mercy Nafula struggles to speak without breaking down.

The Mwihoko helicopter tragedy robbed her of more than just her 13-year-old daughter, Yvonne Nasimiyu; it shattered the fragile stability she had built as a single mother of three.

The tragedy struck just hours after Yvonne had returned from a nearby salon. Mercy was not home at the time. When she did return, she walked into a nightmare; a helicopter had crashed into their neighbourhood, killing her daughter and destroying everything she had worked for.

"Wakati waliaanza kushuka huyu mkubwa, ikafika time za lunch, wakaambia huyu mtoto mkubwa aende nyumbani apike chakula. Katika hiyo harakati, ndio hilo tukio lilitendeka na nikapata mtoto wangu akiwa ndani," she reminisced.

(When they started braiding up the older child, she was told to go home and prepare lunch. It was during that process that the incident happened, and I found my child inside.)

It was then that she found Yvonne, already gone.

Narrating her ordeal in a media interview on Friday, Mercy’s pain was evident in her voice. Holding back tears, she added: "Nimelea mtoto wangu nikiwa pekee yangu. Nimeng'ang'ana nao as a single mother."

(I have raised my child as a single mother)

She says her firstborn is in Grade 8, the second in PP1, and now all their school materials are gone.

“I don’t even have anything left,” she said, nodding in disbelief, her voice cracking with grief.

In addition to dealing with the unbearable grief of losing a child, Mercy is also grappling with the destruction of her home and business. Her small business was reduced to ashes, along with vital documents like her children's birth certificates.

What haunts her most is the thought of what could have happened had all the children returned home for lunch.

Mercy is now appealing for help to support her family and give her daughter a dignified burial.