What was to be a joyful moment for a US-based family visiting a children’s home they are supporting in Bungoma County turned out to be an immense tragedy on the night of January 4.
Ms Wangui Ndirangu, who was born in Kenya and later relocated to the US, was travelling to Bungoma with her American husband, Christopher Winkelpleck, and three children: Njeri (16), Emmanuel (13) and Kairo (6). Then the unexpected happened.
One of the matatus hit by a trailer at Diatomite area in Gilgil, along Nakuru-Nairobi Highway, on January 19, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
The Nation spoke with Mr Maina Kiai, a cousin of Wangui, who revealed the facts around the family tragedy.
1. The family’s van was hit by a lorry : Mr Kiai said Ms Wangui has been supporting a children’s home in Bungoma. She had made a tradition of visiting the home before returning to the US whenever she was in Kenya. On the fateful day, they had boarded a public service van they had hired to take them to Bungoma. This was on Sunday, January 4.
“They were heading towards Nakuru, and they had an accident at Gilgil,” said Mr Maina.
He added that whereas the parents were seated right behind the driver, the children occupied the seats at the back.
“At almost midnight, a trailer which was overtaking almost hit them head-on. The driver of their vehicle tried to avoid it by getting out of the road. So, this trailer hit them at the [middle section] of their vehicle and rolled,” said Mr Maina.
Emmanuel, who was to turn 14 this March, died on the spot. His brother Kairo, who was to turn seven this May, sustained severe injuries, as did his sister, Njeri, who was to turn 17 this March.
Ms Wangui’s first two children – Njeri and Emmanuel – were born during her first marriage with Darwin Deleon. Her lastborn, Kairo, was born during her second marriage to Christopher Winkelpleck, who was with them in the van.
2. Kairo died at a Nakuru hospital: The youngest child in the family breathed his last after being rushed to the Nakuru Women’s Hospital.
“They tried to resuscitate him, but it was all in vain. He passed on,” Mr Maina said, adding that all the children sustained fatal blows to their heads.
3. Parents were unscathed in the crash: “In fact, the parents [Ms Wangui and Mr Winkelpleck] were not even admitted. They were very much okay, apart from the bruises they sustained,” said Mr Maina.
4. Njeri had multiple surgeries in Nairobi: The only girl in the family was transferred from Nakuru to the Nairobi Hospital the morning after the accident. She had her first surgery soon after admission. She had her second surgery that Tuesday, which took seven hours.
“[The doctor] said there are some inflammations of the brain,” said Mr Maina. “He wanted to create adequate space in the brain.”
Njeri was in a coma, and the doctors also put her in an induced coma so that “her energy is used in the healing process” as Mr Maina explained.
5. The family paused burial plans for the boys as the girl got treated: Mr Maina said the family chose to put on ice all plans to inter the bodies of the boys.
“[We were] trying to focus a lot on this girl and her condition,” he said.
They only started holding meetings on January 14, the 10th day after the tragedy. Then, on January 16, as they held a meeting, close family members were called to the Nairobi Hospital.
The Nairobi Hospital. The board of management accuses the police of continued harassment and intimidation despite seeking court intervention.
Photo credit: File | Nation
“They stayed there until around 10 pm, almost going to midnight. That’s when they were told that the girl had passed on,” said Mr Maina.
With that, all of Ms Wangui’s children had gone in a span of 12 days.
“The family resumed our normal meeting and we have decided to give them a send-off tomorrow [Friday],” said Mr Kiai.
6. The children will be cremated: The family has altered the burial plans it shared in a death announcement published in the Daily Nation on Wednesday.
“After a long deliberation, we have decided to have everything done tomorrow [Friday],” he said.
The interment that was to be held on Saturday has thus been moved forward by a day. A memorial-cum-funeral service will be held at the International Christian Centre (ICC) on Mombasa Road then cremation will follow.
“We’ll have the memorial in the morning. It will be more like a normal funeral service,” said Mr Maina. “The bodies will be removed from Umash Funeral Home at 7am, and thereafter the funeral service will start at 9 am at ICC, Mombasa Road. Then after the service, all the three bodies will be cremated at Kariokor Crematorium.”
Mr Maina said that Mr Darwin Deleon, the father of Ms Wangui’s first two children, came to Kenya following the accident and will join his ex-wife and her husband in sending off the children.
Wangui Ndirangu (right) with her children Emmanuel, Njeri and Kairo. The four were in a van involved in an accident in Gilgil on January 4, 2026. All the children died following the crash while Ms Ndirangu and her husband, Christopher Winkelpleck, sustained minor injuries.
Photo credit: Pool
7. The family was to return to the US on January 7: The January 4 crash happened just two days before the family would return to the US. They are based in Iowa.
“They had booked their flight back to the US that Wednesday,” said Mr Maina. “They came during the December holidays.”
“Despite being born in Kenya, she has lived in the US for… 20 years-plus,” said Mr Maina. “She went there to school, and got married there.”
8. They were using a hired PSV van: Mr Maina noted that it was usual for Ms Wangui to hire a van to take her and her kin to the Bungoma children’s home.
“It’s not her first time to be there. It is a trip she normally makes just before she leaves the country,” he said, adding that they were using a public service vehicle from one of the Saccos that “they have been using for quite a while”.
“It was a big vehicle with a designated driver,” said Mr Maina.
In a cruel twist of fate, the accident rendered Ms Wangui childless while she was visiting a children’s home she supports.
9. The family is devastated: In Tetu constituency in Nyeri County, where Ms Wangui hails from, devastation looms large.
“This is something which has never happened in our extended family,” said Mr Maina.
“We normally hear others saying ‘we have had an accident; our family is wiped out’. But in our case, we are first-timers, if I can say that,” he added. “Nothing like that has ever happened. So, it has really hit us hard, even financially.”
10. Well-wishers can support the family: There has been an outpouring of support from well-wishers in Kenya and abroad as the world comes to terms with the tragic loss. A GoFundMe fundraiser started on January 8, with a target of $70,000 (Sh9 million), had raised $66,505 (Sh8.6 million) by midday on Thursday. Mr Maina said anyone who would like to support the family can send M-Pesa to the family treasurer, Charity Ndungu, on 0703362325.
