DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT
DANIEL MUTHAMA MUTISO
“Colonel”
21 June 1950 – 3 November 2026
Retired army Lieutenant Colonel, strict on parade and soft-hearted at home
It is with deep sorrow and humble acceptance of God's will that we announce the passing on of Lt. Col. (Rtd) DANIEL MUTHAMA MUTISO on 3rd November 2026 at Machakos Level 5 Hospital. Husband of the late Mary Nduku; father to Kyalo, Ndinda and Mwende; father-in-law to Winnie and Joseph; grandfather to eight; brother to many. Family and friends meet daily at Kangundo, Machakos, at 5.00 pm. Cortege leaves Machakos Funeral Home on Saturday 21st November at 7.30 am for a funeral service with military honours at AIC Kangundo Church, followed by interment at the family farm. M-Pesa Paybill 370455, Account COLONEL. Rest in peace, Colonel.
On parade, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Muthama Mutiso demanded that every boot shine and every button hold. At home, the same man hummed Kamba hymns while peeling oranges for his grandchildren. Those who knew only one of these men were always surprised by the other.
He was born in Kangundo in June 1950, one of nine children of a cattle keeper, and left for the Kenya Army in 1971 with one change of clothes and a Bible. He trained at the Kenya Military Academy, served at Lanet and Gilgil, and rose through the ranks with a reputation for fairness. In 2000 he commanded a Kenyan contingent in the United Nations mission in Sierra Leone, and he spoke of the village children there with a tenderness that surprised his men.
Daniel retired in 2005 and returned to Kangundo, where he planted mangoes, pawpaws and passion fruit on a hillside farm. He led the Kangundo Fruit Growers Cooperative for twelve years and helped it secure its first export contract. He walked every morning at five, greeted every neighbour by name, and was often seen on Sundays at AIC Kangundo reading the first lesson in a voice that made even the children sit upright.
His wife Mary Nduku, a nurse at Kenyatta National Hospital, died in August 2023, and he never fully recovered from the loss; he kept her photograph beside his Bible and spoke to it each evening. He died at Machakos Level 5 Hospital on 3 November 2026 after a short illness.
He is survived by his children Kyalo, Ndinda and Mwende, and by eight grandchildren who will long remember the taste of his oranges.
“Discipline is love that shows up on time.”