NAIROBI, Kenya — Kevin Migwe Kimwatu has paid an emotional tribute to his late wife, Rosemary Chemutai Koech-Kimwatu, reflecting on their 20-year journey together, their family and the memories that defined their marriage.
The detailed, multi-page eulogy, titled “Tribute from Kevin Migwe Kimwatu,” comes after weeks of public scrutiny, criticism and legal disputes surrounding Chemutai’s death and burial.
In the tribute, Kimwatu acknowledged the difficult final months of their relationship but rejected the idea that the period should define the couple’s two decades together.
Instead, he celebrated Chemutai’s journey from a young university student into a prominent professional in technology and law, while recalling the everyday moments, family experiences and shared dreams that shaped their life together.
Kimwatu recalls meeting Chemutai at 19
Kimwatu said Chemutai came into his life when she was just 19 and that they began building their life together during her university years.
“You came into my life and into our home at only 19 years old, and almost immediately, we began building a life together. I had the privilege of walking beside you through your campus years,” he wrote.
He said he watched her evolve alongside their son, describing her progression from a student to a lawyer, unionist, NGO professional and eventually a technology expert.
“Together with our son, I watched you grow and evolve from Chemu the student, to Chemu the Lawyer, to Chemu the unionist, to Chemu the NGO lady, and eventually to Chemu the tech guru,” he said.
Kimwatu described his late wife as determined, hardworking and ambitious, saying she constantly sought new challenges.
“For you, Chemu, the sky was never the limit. There was always another dream to chase, another mountain to climb and another possibility waiting beyond the horizon. That was Chemu. Determined. Hardworking. Strong. Present,” he wrote.
The husband who drove her to work
Among the memories Kimwatu shared were details of their everyday life, including his role as Chemutai’s driver for many years.
He said he drove her to work for 16 years before she eventually learnt to drive herself about four years ago.
“You would proudly tell anyone who asked, ‘I don’t have to learn how to drive because I have a husband.’ And I was perfectly happy with that arrangement,” he recalled.
He also remembered the humour surrounding her driving lessons, saying she would tease him when he tried to teach her.
“If you make noise, I’ll go to Lalu to teach me. Remember, I’m your wife!” he recalled her saying.
The anecdotes offered a glimpse into the private side of their relationship away from the public attention that followed her death.
Chemutai’s love for sunrises
Kimwatu also remembered his wife’s love for watching sunrises and the photographs he regularly took of her.
He described himself as her “official photographer”, saying he embraced the responsibility with pride.
“I will never forget your love for sunrises. You would wake me up so that we could go and watch them together. And then, of course, came my other very important responsibility: I had to take your photographs,” he wrote.
“I was your official photographer. You always said that only Mwende was allowed to take over that job when I wasn’t around,” he added.
The memories form a central part of Kimwatu’s tribute, which uses photographs and personal recollections to document the couple’s life together.
Remembering their wedding day
Kimwatu also reflected on the music that accompanied their wedding day, saying the songs have taken on a different meaning following Chemutai’s death.
“At our wedding, our opening dance was to Judy Boucher’s ‘If It Is Love’… You walked down the aisle to John Denver’s ‘Annie’s Song’… Today those songs carry a different meaning for me,” he wrote.
The recollection underscored his effort to look back at the full history of their marriage rather than focus exclusively on the circumstances surrounding its final months.
‘Twenty years cannot be reduced to three months’
One of the most significant sections of the tribute addressed public speculation about the couple’s relationship.
Kimwatu acknowledged that he and Chemutai had drifted apart during the final three months and experienced misunderstandings and emotional wounds.
He said, however, that those difficulties should not be allowed to overshadow the 20 years they had spent together.
“Perhaps that silence began three months ago, when we slowly drifted apart, and the distance between us became something neither you nor I seemed to know how to bridge. But nothing could ever have prepared me, or any of us, for the final silence your departure has left behind,” he wrote.
He directly addressed the public criticism surrounding their relationship.
“And as I see and hear everything being said around us now, I choose not to allow the noise of the world to define our story. Because you and I knew our story. We lived it. Twenty years cannot be reduced to the final three months of our lives together. Neither can our marriage be reduced to its most difficult moments,” Kimwatu said.
‘There are questions I may never have answers to’
While celebrating their shared history, Kimwatu did not shy away from acknowledging the difficulties they experienced before Chemutai’s death.
“I still struggle to understand our last three months apart and the pain that both of us carried in our hearts. There are questions I may never have answers to,” he wrote.
“There are things I wish I could have said differently, things I wish I could have done, and moments I wish I could change. We had misunderstandings. We had wounds that perhaps we never got the chance to fully heal,” he added.
His comments provide his personal account of the relationship’s final period, without resolving the wider questions that have surrounded Chemutai’s death and subsequent burial.
Their final conversations
Kimwatu said he was grateful that he and Chemutai spoke extensively on the day she died.
He revealed that they spoke for one hour and 24 minutes during the day and another 29 minutes that night.
“I am especially grateful that on your last day, we spoke. We talked for one hour and twenty-four minutes during the day and another twenty-nine minutes that night,” he wrote.
“If I had known it would be our last day, Chemu, I would never have ended that call.”
The memory appeared to offer Kimwatu some comfort amid the grief, while also highlighting the finality of their last conversations.
A promise to their four children
Kimwatu concluded the tribute by promising to continue caring for their four children — Charles, Pauline, Michael and Paul.
“My love. That is how I saved you in my phone, and that is how I will remember you… As for me, I have no choice but to carry on with the dreams we shared. Most importantly, I will carry on for Charles, Pauline, Michael and Paul,” he wrote.
He promised to keep Chemutai’s memory alive for their children and remind them of her love for them.
“I will always tell them about you. I will remind them how deeply you loved them and how fiercely you loved being their mother,” he added.
He ended the tribute with an emotional farewell.
“Chemu, you were my wife, my love, my friend, the mother of our four beautiful children and an irreplaceable part of my life. Death may have ended the life we shared here, but it can never erase the years we had… Rest peacefully, my love. Enjoy the sunrises until we meet again.”
Family and friends also pay tribute
Kimwatu’s tribute was among several messages shared in memory of Chemutai.
His mother, siblings, church mates and the couple’s four children also paid tribute to her, reflecting on her life, family and relationships.
The collection of tributes comes as the family continues to mourn Chemutai, whose death generated significant public attention.
Who was Rosemary Chemutai?
Rosemary Chemutai Kimwatu, née Koech, was a 40-year-old Kenyan technology-policy lawyer who served as Head of Data Protection at KCB Bank Group.
She died on August 21, 2026, at her residence in Ngong, Kajiado County.
She was later buried on the night of Friday, August 28, 2026, at her parents’ family boma in Chepseon, Kericho County.
Her professional career spanned law, technology, policy and other areas, while those close to her have remembered her as a mother, wife, professional and friend.
