Father of Kenyan nurse who drowned in Canada speaks

The father of Hellen Kemunto, the young Kenyan woman who drowned on Thursday while swimming in Canada, has come out to speak about the incident.

According to 55-year-old John Nyabuto Kiyondi, Hellen’s father, Hellen left home five years ago and had not returned since. He added that she had applied for and won a chance to live in Canada — the equivalent of the US Green Card.

“While in high school, she used to tell me that she harboured the dream of going overseas. One evening, she came home and told me she had won herself a ‘Green Card’ to go to Canada. She asked me to help her raise her airfare. I went to a local chama, borrowed some money and together with what I had saved, we saw her off,” Mr Nyabuto said.

While in Canada, according to the father, Hellen was determined to see their family back in Kenya prosper since she knew they were struggling.

During her free time, she would take up extra jobs and the little she could get, she could budget it well for her upkeep and the remaining could be sent home to support her family.