Family of Kenyan girl who drowned in Canada to receive body tomorrow
After more than a month of waiting, the body of Hellen Kemunto, alias Hellen Wendy, a Kenyan girl who drowned while swimming in Canada is expected in the country tomorrow, ahead of her burial on Monday, October 3, in Kisii county.
The remains are expected to arrive in Nairobi on Saturday, October 1, afternoon aboard Ethiopian Airlines Aircraft.
Her body will be flown home after the family travelled to Canada to lobby for the repatriation of her remains. They also visited the swimming pool where she perished.
The family of Kemunto is set to receive their wish to bury their kin at their ancestral home. Her father John Kiyondi Nyabuto, earlier this month said he would only find closure from his daughter’s tragic death when her body was brought home for burial.
“According to our tradition, one is supposed to be buried where he or she was born. I’ll not feel comfortable, psychologically, if my daughter is buried away from Kenya,” the 56-year-old said.
Hellen Wendy died on August 18, 2022, in Ontario, after diving into the deep end of the swimming pool while live-streaming her swimming session on Facebook. She tragically drowned about 10 minutes into her live video. Her phone continued to record for over three hours.
On Sunday, September 4, a requiem mass for the deceased was held in Canada and streamed live on YouTube so that her family in Kenya could watch in real-time.