An emotional photo showing a Kenyan mother tightly embracing her son at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) before he travelled to Denmark has emerged following his tragic death abroad.
The photograph has brought a deeply personal dimension to Emmanuel Ng’etich’s death, a promising Kenyan man who travelled to Denmark to pursue his PhD as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie scholar.
In a heartbreaking tribute, a family member recalled how their mother held Ng’etich for three minutes as he prepared to board his flight.
“She held him, crying and blessing him. We took photos. Then Manu flew to Denmark,” the family member recalled.
For the family, the departure was a moment filled with pride, excitement and hope. Born to humble farming parents, Ng’etich had worked hard to pursue his academic ambitions, and his opportunity to study abroad represented the fulfilment of dreams shared by his loved ones.
His family had watched him work towards that moment, believing that his journey to Denmark would open another chapter in his life and bring greater opportunities.
However, the words their mother reportedly murmured as she watched him leave have taken on a painful meaning following his death.
“Mum waved and murmured, ‘Our home won’t be the same again,'” the relative recalled.
At the time, the words accompanied an emotional farewell. Today, they reflect the heartbreak of a family preparing to receive the body of a son whose return they never imagined would happen under such circumstances.
Ng’etich died in Denmark on October 20, leaving his family, friends and members of the Kenyan community abroad devastated.
Mother hoped to hug son again
For a family that had watched their son leave Kenya carrying their dreams and hopes, the photo has become a painful reminder of a farewell that was supposed to lead to many more homecomings.
Instead, they are left mourning a promising scholar whose academic journey was cut short thousands of miles away from the home where his dreams began.
The family is now confronting the painful reality of preparing to receive him home, with the mother who once held him tightly at JKIA waiting for another embrace.
“Today, our mother is waiting to welcome her son home. She is waiting to hug him again,” the relative said.
