For nearly three decades, he lived a life many men would consider successful.
He was a senior engineer at Kenya Power, earned a substantial salary and had built a life in Nairobi. According to accounts surrounding his final days, Engineer Bosco Kebati earned more than KSh300,000 a month.
But when sickness struck and his fortunes changed, the life he had built appeared to unravel.
His savings were reportedly depleted. His health deteriorated. And after spending about 28 years away from his first wife, he found himself being taken from Nairobi to Kisii in a public matatu.
Waiting for him was the woman he had left behind decades earlier.
She would ultimately be the person who cared for him during his final moments and, according to the account, held him as he breathed his last.
It is a story of money, marriage, ageing, loyalty and the painful consequences that can sometimes follow the choices people make in their younger years.
From a life of comfort to a painful journey home
Kebati worked at Kenya Power as a senior engineer and, by all appearances, had achieved professional success.
For almost 28 years, however, he reportedly lived in Nairobi with his second wife while his first wife remained in Kisii.
Years passed.
Children grew older. Life moved on. Yet the separation remained.
Then came the moment when everything changed.
Illness reportedly left Kebati physically weak and financially vulnerable. The income that had once supported his lifestyle was no longer enough to shield him from the realities of old age and sickness.
According to the account, his second wife arranged for him to travel from Nairobi to Kisii and contacted his first wife to inform her that her husband was coming home.
He was reportedly taken to Kenya Power, where documents relating to his benefits were handled before he was sent away.
Eventually, he found himself travelling by matatu back to Kisii.
The man who had once been able to afford a comfortable life was now returning to the woman he had left behind nearly three decades earlier.
And she was waiting.
She welcomed the man who had left her
For his first wife, the return must have carried emotions that words can hardly capture.
This was the husband who had been absent for years.
Yet when he returned sick and vulnerable, she reportedly received him.
There were no grand celebrations.
No comfortable Nairobi lifestyle.
No promise of tomorrow.
There was simply a sick elderly man and the woman who had once shared his life.
In his final moments, she remained beside him.
And, according to the account, he died in her arms.
The uncomfortable lessons behind his story
Kebati’s story has sparked reflection because it raises questions that many people postpone until it is too late.
Money can disappear.
A monthly income of more than KSh300,000 may appear enormous, but income is not the same as wealth. Without saving, investing and proper financial planning, even a high salary can eventually disappear.
No one knows every detail of Kebati’s finances, so it would be unfair to assume exactly what happened to his money. But his reported circumstances offer a reminder that earning well today does not guarantee security tomorrow.
People may change when circumstances change.
Those around us during our most successful years may not necessarily be the same people who remain when sickness, old age or financial hardship arrives.
That is why relationships should be built on more than money, comfort or convenience.
Retirement requires preparation.
A good career can end.
A salary can stop.
Businesses can collapse.
Health can deteriorate.
But old age does not wait for anyone.
Saving, investing and planning for retirement are therefore not luxuries. They are preparations for a season of life that eventually comes for everyone.
The woman who was left behind
Perhaps the most emotional part of the story is the role played by Kebati’s first wife.
After almost 28 years apart, she reportedly became the person who received him when he was at his weakest.
Whatever happened between them during those decades, she was there at the end.
Her story is a reminder that loyalty cannot always be measured by what someone can provide financially.
Sometimes, the people who matter most are the ones who remain when there is nothing left to gain.
A warning for those building their lives today
Kebati’s story should not be used to condemn an entire gender, marriage or second relationships. Every family has circumstances outsiders may never fully understand.
Instead, it should prompt difficult but important questions.
What happens when your salary stops?
Who will stand beside you when you become sick?
Have you saved enough for retirement?
Have you invested wisely?
Have you maintained meaningful relationships with your spouse, children, siblings and friends?
And perhaps the most important question:
Are you building a life that will still have meaning when the money is gone?
Because money can buy comfort, but it cannot guarantee loyalty.
A successful career can earn respect, but it cannot guarantee companionship in old age.
And a comfortable lifestyle can disappear much faster than people imagine.
Engineer Bosco Kebati reportedly spent decades building a life away from his first home.
But when his final chapter arrived, he returned to the woman he had left behind.
She was there.
And, according to the account, she held him until the end.
Sometimes life gives people decades to make choices.
But eventually, everyone discovers the consequences of those choices.
