Tears after woman dies 2 months to her wedding in accident

A Mombasa man who was eagerly preparing to marry his longtime fiancée early next year is now facing an unimaginable loss after she died in the road accident that claimed the lives of Catholic pilgrims travelling to the Subukia Shrine in Nakuru County.

Leonea Baraza had every reason to look forward to 2027. In August this year, he paid dowry for his fiancée, Veronica Ngandi, marking an important step towards their marriage. With the blessing of both families, the couple had settled on February for their wedding ceremony.

Their plans, however, were tragically cut short by a journey that was supposed to be a spiritual pilgrimage.

Veronica was among Catholic faithful from St Matthias Mulumba Catholic Church who travelled to the Subukia Shrine. Fellow parishioners had gathered to see off the pilgrims before their departure, unaware that some would never return home.

For Baraza, the last hours before the tragedy remain painfully etched in his memory.

On the evening of the journey, he called Veronica when she reached Manyatta at around 8pm to check on her and make sure she was safe.

She later called him again after reaching Mtito Andei, and the two spoke normally.

But around 9pm, Baraza tried calling her again.

“I called, but she did not pick up. The phone was ringing, but she wasn’t answering. I called a second time. It was still ringing, but she did not answer. I called for a third time, but this time the phone was no longer going through,” Baraza recalled.

He initially thought his fiancée had fallen asleep after the long journey.

With no reason to suspect that anything was wrong, he went to bed, expecting to speak to her the following morning.

Instead, the morning brought devastating news.

Baraza woke up and tried calling Veronica again, but there was still no response.

“I woke up and called her again, but she still did not answer until I received news of the accident,” he said.

The news shattered the future the couple had carefully planned together.

Baraza and Veronica had been engaged since 2024, and their relationship had progressed to the point where both families had given them the go-ahead to proceed with their wedding preparations.

For Baraza, February was supposed to be the beginning of a new chapter with the woman he had loved for years.

“I had been given the go-ahead by our parents to continue with the wedding plans, and I was planning to hold the wedding in February. Those plans have now fallen apart. It was a shock,” he said.

He said nothing could have prepared him for losing Veronica in such circumstances.

“It was very sad because I never expected something like this. I did not know that Friday, the day we spoke in the morning, would be the last time I would talk to her. It was truly heartbreaking,” he added.

What began as a journey of faith has therefore left Baraza and Veronica’s loved ones mourning a devastating loss.

Instead of preparing for wedding celebrations, the family is now preparing to lay Veronica to rest.

For Baraza, the unanswered calls that night have become a painful reminder of how quickly life can change. The woman he expected to walk down the aisle with in February will no longer be there, leaving behind memories of a relationship that had survived years and was only months away from becoming a marriage.