In the quiet village of Ndalat in Nandi County, the Saina family is grappling with a double tragedy that has shattered their dreams and left a lingering sense of sorrow.
Just one year after losing their daughter Sheila in a road accident in Australia, the family is now mourning the sudden and mysterious death of their son, Eugene Saina, in Finland.
Eugene, who had been working as an engineer with Componenta Finland Oy Hogfors for more than two years, was found dead on March 8.
His body was discovered in a water body in Karkkila City, northwest of Helsinki. The news was relayed to the family by one of Eugene’s close friends in Finland.
Until his death, Eugene had secured permanent residency in Finland. His journey to the Nordic country in October 2023 came at the same time his younger sister, Sheila, left for Australia. Both siblings departed Kenya within the same week, carrying the hopes of a family that had sold its only acre of land to support their pursuit of better futures abroad.
Now, the Saina family is left with heartbreak—and unanswered questions.
At his burial service held at their Nandi home, Eugene's sister, Sharon Saina, remembered him as a devoted Christian and a pillar of strength for the family.
“My brother was a symbol of peace,” she said tearfully. “He prayed for our family constantly. Just a day before his death, he called me to talk about the future—he had so many plans.”
“He never showed any signs of distress,” she said. “He was prayerful, optimistic, and always checked in on all of us. The narrative about depression does not fit the Eugene we knew.”
Through her grief, she urged the church and the community to pray for their family.
“We are tired of mourning. We pray that this marks the end of sorrow in our home. Let there be no more deaths. In Jesus' name, we declare this cycle broken,” she said.
A grave on March 19, 2025, where Sheila Jeptum Saina was buried at her parent’s home in Kapserton village, Kipkaren Salient of Nandi County after she died in an accident in Australia on February 07, 2024.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation
Eugene’s elder brother, Evans Kiplimo, described him as the family’s glue—cheerful, wise, and deeply empathetic.
“He was our source of laughter and encouragement,” Kiplimo said. “He had a way of lifting everyone’s spirits. His stories, his faith, his kindness—they brought us together.”
Kiplimo also revealed that Eugene had started buying land back home with dreams of initiating family development projects. “He had a vision for us. He wanted to give back.”
Their parents, David and Hellen Saina, were too grief-stricken to speak. They sat silently during the six-hour funeral, visibly broken, as mourners paid tribute to their late son.
David Saina, accompanied by his wife Hellen Saina, at their home in Kapserton village in Kipkaren Salient, Nandi County on March 19, 2025, displays a phone with a photo of their son, the late Eugene Kipkoech, who died in Finland on March 9 this year, and a banner with a photo of their daughter, the late Sheila Jeptum Saina, who died in an accident in Australia on February 07, 2024. The family is planning to airlift Kipkoech's body to Kenya next week and need Sh2.5 million to do so.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation
The burial service was presided over by Kapsabet ACK Diocese Bishop Paul Korir, who delivered a sermon focused on faith, resilience, and the challenges young people face abroad.
In line with a recent directive by ACK Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit, local politicians in attendance were not allowed to speak.
Bishop Korir used the moment to call on parents to stay closely connected with their children living abroad.
“Distance should not break the bond between parents and their children,” he said. “Be their spiritual guides. Offer them counsel grounded in the Word. Our young people face great struggles out there.”
The Saina family had once envisioned a brighter future. When they sold their only parcel of land three years ago to finance Sheila and Eugene’s relocation, they believed it was a worthy sacrifice.
“We wanted them to thrive, to build a life better than ours,” said a relative at the funeral. “Now, we are burying dreams.”
Eugene's sudden death, just a year after Sheila’s, has cast a long shadow of grief and fear over the family. Their hope now lies in prayer and community support.
“We are wounded but not destroyed,” Sharon said. “We still believe in God’s purpose. But we are asking Him—let this be the last grave we dig for our children.”
