A memorial service for Sarah Wairimu, affectionatly known as Moma Sarah, will take place in St Nicholas Collegiate Church this Sunday at 1pm.
The service will be led by Rev Patrick Towers in one of his last official acts before he retires as rector of the church on Saturday January 31.
Mrs Wairimu was to receive an honorary Master’s in Arts degree from NUI, Galway, in recognition of her work with children in Kenya. However Mrs Wairimu was very ill from cancer and could not attend the ceremony in October.
Mrs Wairimu’s daughter Mary Anne Wangari-Mullen, who runs the Harambee charity shop in Galway, brought the degree back to Kenya, along with a specially made cap and gown, to give to her mother. Three days later, on October 24 Mrs Wairimu passed away.
Mrs Wairimu ran an orphanage and a school outside Nairobi. Even after she retired she continued teaching orphans in her home in Kenya. This would eventually lead to the establishment of the Dúchas Nasamu Children’s Home in Ikumbu, outside the Kenyan capital. The home is mainly supported by the Harambee shop and donations.