Linet Okwaro, a mother from the White House area of Manyatta in Kisumu, died on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, while giving birth, leaving behind her husband, children and a community in mourning.
Known affectionately as Mama Twins, Linet was first rushed to Nightingale Hospital when complications arose during her labour.
She was subsequently referred to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), where she later passed away.
Otieno meets Linet at Kalongolongo Hotel in Kisumu
The news of her passing hit her childhood friends particularly hard. Kennedy Otieno, a former classmate, took to Facebook to pay tribute, sharing a memory of their reunion that now carries a painful weight.
Late last year, the two reconnected through a mutual classmate after a long separation.
They met at Kalongolongo Hotel in Kisumu, where they spent more than six hours over lunch, laughing and revisiting memories from their school days.
Otieno recalls eating fish with Linet
Otieno recalled how they ate fish together and caught up on each other’s lives, their families and everything in between.
During that afternoon, Linet recounted how she had once come close to losing her life while delivering her twins.
Otieno teased her that perhaps it was time to stop adding to the family.
Otieno part ways with Linet
She reportedly laughed it off in the warm, easy way he had always known her to.
“When we parted ways and I saw her off to Kibuye, I never imagined that was the last time I would see her. Yet I thank God that we had that day. It is a memory I will treasure forever,” Otieno wrote in his tribute.
Those who knew Linet described her as kind-hearted and full of energy, the kind of person whose presence lifted a room. Otieno’s tribute captured the grief shared by many who had grown up alongside her.
Otieno’s tribute to Linet
“Linet, you were kind, full of life, and a true friend. Life has taken you too soon, and the pain is heavy,” he wrote.
He extended his condolences to her husband, children and family, praying for strength and comfort in the days ahead.
Linet Okwaro leaves behind a family and a circle of friends whose lives she touched deeply, gone far too soon.
