Imagine going for a retire and since you have been busy all your life working and since you have never treated your wife of 35 years with something special, you decide to pay for her a trip to go and visit a foreign land.
But after she has had a good time and missing you, she decides its time to return home, but since where she was she had gone to visit her daughter, she decides to come home with the grandchildren for Easter holidays.
While your waiting at the airport, you get no response other than a plane tragedy.
This is the story of Mr Karanja,. a public servant who just retired at the age of 60 and had paid for his wifes air ticket to visit their daughter in Canada.
“I had never taken her out so I felt I had to do something for her,” said Mr Karanja.
Their daughter Caroline Nduta who worked as an accountant, had secured Canadian citizenship in 2017 and had invited her parents for a visit.
According to Mr Karanja, his plan was for the wife to stay in Canada for three months but they extrended to six months and on sunday the return day, Caroline wrote “I am excited (to come home) but I also have this fear in me”.
Mr Karanja says his wife(Anne), their daughter(Caroline) and his three grandchildren who left Ontario, Canada, on Saturday, with their hearts yearning to be reunited with Karanja in Nakuru never arrived.
The man expressed his love for his wife and says despite working far away during his tenure as a public servant, he made it sure that every thursday he wenbt home to see her.
He says his wife was a role model, a friend and he says the wife came to him in hard times that no one ever did.
“I don’t know how to live without her. Some people say it’s God’s will, but I don’t want to question. But I know one day I will meet up with God – we all will – and I will ask him,” he said.
Mr Karanja says he knows not much about flights and thought that there are direct flights from Kenya to Ontario, Canada, just like to the US. So he knew they could not be in Ethiopia.
By Sunday 9am, the family was at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport’s arrival section waiting for the arrival of a dear wife, daughter and three adorable grandchildren.
When their flight was listed as cancelled on the flight information display system, the family did not pay it any thought.
Karanja’s son, Kevin, reveals that that it was not until 4pm when they confirmed that their kin had died in the plane crash.
Two of the grandchildren, ages four years and nine months old, were not listed as Kenyans because one was born in Canada and the other in the US, which makes them citizens of those countries.
Yesterday, Karanja’s home in Kabatini village, Bahati, was a hive of activity as neighbours and relatives visited to condole with the family.
A neighbour, Martin Muchiri, recalled how they had prepared a welcoming party for Karanja’s family.
“We had organised a small party to welcome mama, her daughter and grandchildren. We bought a goat. This is so painful,” said Mr Muchiri.