Condolences from Githu's family...it was unbelievable our neighbour u have left us soon..may your soul rest in peace

My Dear Sister Esther was a very neat and stylish person since she was a child and she loved beauty.She was very principled and extremely articulate. She was forthright and had a lot of wisdom. I remember instances where I would ask her for advice, and she was always willing to assist me. She loved all her siblings and cared for the whole family. She would do anything to make us feel loved and comfortable.

Esther was very generous and ready to assist in any way possible. She had a big heart that accommodated everybody; young and old.  She was very caring, and she would go an extra mile to help those in need.

Esther was a God-fearing person. She lived in many countries and wherever she went she would join a nearby Christian Community. I witnessed this in Indonesia where she joined a church and used to drive for more than one hour from Bogor to Jakarta every Sunday to attend the Church service and meet the Christian Community. She would provide flowers for the Church, which I came to know by mistake as Esther did her things very privately.

Esther has taught us to love and care for others, to mentor and encourage those who are coming up in life and above all to work hard and not to brag. Greatest of all is the fear of God that she had.

She has left behind a legacy that we will carry on.

Forever in my heart,
Lydia

I am shocked and saddened to hear that Esther has passed away. 
My first meeting with Esther was when we ran a day long workshop together at the IASC Biennial Conference in England.  We had been corresponding by email for several months but had never met until she arrived in the room where the workshop was to take place.  I had been concerned about how we might work together but need not have worried - she quickly put me at ease - while we discussed how to manage the day and re-arranged the furniture in the room to make sure the participants could work in small groups. 

We were expecting around 30 participants.  By the time the first people appeared we had a plan worked out.  We started on time and people kept drifting in - by the time we got to 40 we were starting to run out of chairs, when it got to 60 we were running out of tables and space, by the time it got to 80 it was getting really over-crowded and some people were on tables in the corridor.  All this time - while I was running around organising furniture and places to sit Esther kept on with her presentation and engaging in discussion with the participants - totally un-phased by the noise, the interruptions and the chaos that was occurring.  In the middle of it all the Campus Manager suddenly appeared at the doorway and announced we were breaking all the health and safety rules and had to vacate the room immediately.  For a few seconds there was a stunned silence, and then Esther indicated that she had no intention of leaving and went back to giving her presentation, leaving me to diplomatically remove a visibly furious Manager out of the room where we could discuss the problems away from the participants.  We ended up staying in the room, packed with people so there was standing room only, and thanks to her we had one of the best workshops I have ever experienced - she was great fun to work with.  I just wish we had had time to do more together. 

"Little" sister Nyambura – ‘Siniguse’ as we had nicknamed you due to mama's ever protective nature over you when you were the baby in the house.  You have gone away.  Plucked from us at a time when you were blooming. We can only say thank you to the Almighty for having given you to us for this period.

We shall remember your quiet but effective demeanor and presence. You never needed to raise your voice to be heard and felt. You avoided pursuing arguments that would lead to soiling relationships with others.  You loved us as your family members, opening wide the door of your home to us. Many family functions were held at your home. You made mama comfortable in your house, making sure that she had all that was required for her state. This indeed gave us as a family peace of mind. The last time we were together we agreed to arrange when the children were to visit you. As I departed you told me "tell them that I love them very much".  These words will be cast in stone in my mind. 

You championed environmental conservation issues. Whenever we met, issues like Itare Dam construction for Nakuru water supply, Mau Forest issues and others always came up as we discussed their projected environmental impact. You indeed provided insights to these issues. 
  
Despite your excellent academic credentials, your rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty in your work in Kenya and the many countries that you visited and worked in, you were humble and easily approachable. A paragon of humility and virtue.

We shall miss you, but we will remember your good humour and easy laughter.
We know that you are in glory and we shall meet again in God’s paradise.
Fare thee well Nyambura.
 
John Mwangi

Dear Esther: Words cannot begin to describe how absolutely helpless I felt when I saw you in ICU. It broke my very being. Tears flowed freely. I remember the last time we were together. We came to celebrate Ronald's achievement with you. You were gracious, smiling and chuckled in your usual special way. Many times, we planned for your second visit to our home in Nakuru, but alas, it was not to be. Thank you for being a gracious host. We enjoyed the sleep overs, which enabled us to spend time with you and Cucu. I will forever cherish the good moments we shared. Good-bye my dear sister. I loved you but God loved you more. Rest well in the heavenly kingdom that you surely are in.

Catherine Mwangi

I always called her Nyambura particularly in our formative years. I got to learn very early that she had a strong will and grit and did not take kindly to being treated badly.  As a slightly older sibling I tried to have my way and say (call it bullying) but she would have none of it from as early as Standard 3, back in the mid 1970’s.

I remember the 3 of us with my younger brother Daniel, walking to and from
school in Parklands and usually stopping by vendors to purchase fruits such as
mangoes, loquats, etc. or simply pluck them from fruit trees which were plenty
then. On Sundays the 3 of us would walk to the All Saints Cathedral Church to
attend Sunday School and walk back home. We hopped and skipped on the way and
loved counting cars by make or those with double digits or double letters or
long numbers. Those indeed were great carefree days

Esther and I continued to have a great relationship, much more as friends than siblings. She fiercely protected her space and beliefs. We celebrated her achievements and progress in the
research world which many of us were clueless about. I recall her doing research in Kajiado and having to stay in manyattas, sometimes deep in the interior and made many friends
with the community members, some of whom I met back then. To enable her move
around, she acquired a small jeep-like vehicle. She took her work seriously.

I recall seeing her off at the airport when she was going to the US for her PHD program after which we now begun having long gaps before seeing her, as she was eventually employed in the US and later moved to CIFOR in Indonesia. But when she came by we always used to connect

On one of her visits she intimated to me that she would be coming back to help set up the Kenya office for CIFOR. This was exciting. When she eventually returned, we really teamed up as we went around looking for a place for her to purchase and live, as well as a car. She
eventually settled for Kiambu due to the proximity to her office. She brought in her furniture much of it from a place she really loved called Bogor where she worked.She fixed the house very well and offered to stay with our mother who still lives in her house. She made adjustment to ensure mum was comfortable.  I had moved to Kiambu a few years earlier and therefore
Esther was my neighbor, literally 5 minutes away so this made me a frequent visitor to her home where I really felt welcome. We discussed many things and I began to understand her field and understood and felt her passion.

Esther travelled a lot and I wondered how frequently she would fill up her passport and how she got renewals, considering the challenges we all faced. She used to laugh when I told her mine had just a few stamps and renewal was on expiry and not because it had been filled. She told me that travel while based in Indonesia was much more than in the Nairobi office and I marveled at this. Whenever she travelled, she would tell me to ensure our mum was okay and I used to panic should anything happen in her absence. But God was faithful and He kept
mum well. On her return from each trip she would come back with gifts like chocolates for my children as well as for others and at times even traditional shirts from some of the places for my brothers and I which incidentally all fitted. Being nearest to her I always had the first
pick.

We had an excellent rapport and I was shocked when she begun ailing, particularly when the nature of the ailment was disclosed. I believe we became even closer as I would visit almost daily and on occasion drive out into the countryside with her. She educated me on conservation, on the trees which were indigenous and those that weren’t. We enjoyed the beauty of the tea and coffee plantations within Kiambu and Limuru and the landscape and I learnt a lot from her. We reminisced about our childhood days, had some good laughs about her experiences in NYS. We sat and watched news and she loved watching sports as well 

I did not believe that a day would come when she would be no more. After her demise I have now really come to understand who Esther was and what she stood for. A great person yet with utmost humility. A person who has met with and dined with the high and mighty even in the diaspora and yet makes no mention of it. A person who has travelled the whole world
yet still spoke softly and modestly.

I will dearly miss you my sister, my friend. Fare thee well until we meet again

Elijah Ngengi Mwangi

A life well lived, a life cut short too soon.
Good Bye Daktari.
National Alliance of Community Forest Association (NACOFA) moans with all friends colleagues and family members of Daktari.
We have worked with her for many years.
We know Daktari as a firm believer in community well being while they take a center stage in management of natural resources.
We knew her as a researcher who put her research outcomes into practical actions towards improvement of people's livelihoods.
Many a times I have heard her telling and challenging community members not to live in comfort zones of poverty while being surrounded by riches in natural resources which are unexploited.
Many a scientist conduct expensive research projects, publish and that is the end of story, that is not our Dr. Esther Mwangi.
may Our Lord rest her soul in internal peace.
Surely "Forever Missed" is the true statement from the depths of our Hearts.
Gerald M. Ngatia   

It is with profound shock that I have learnt the passing on of Dr.Mwangi Esther.It only  a couple of months ago that she invited me and other colleagues from Uganda   for a workshop in Nairobi to start on the next phase of the Water Towers project
I will always remember Dr.Mwangi as a very serene and peaceful professional..Peace and Serenity was written all over her
We in Uganda especially in the Mt Elgon areas will sorely miss her
Now that the Lord has called her to be with Him, we have nothing to do but to  obey God's will.and pray to the Almighty to  grant her soul a peaceful repose.
Mugisha Louis
Kamapala Uganda