DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT
MARY NDUKU MUTISO
“Sister Mary”
30 March 1955 – 23 August 2023
Kenyatta National Hospital nurse who held the hands of thousands on the night shift
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Sister MARY NDUKU MUTISO, retired Night Sister at Kenyatta National Hospital, on 23rd August 2023 at Nairobi Hospital. Wife of Lt. Col. (Rtd) Daniel Muthama Mutiso; mother to Kyalo, Ndinda and Mwende; mother-in-law to Winnie and Joseph; grandmother to eight. Family and friends meet daily at the family home in Kangundo at 5.00 pm. Cortege leaves Lee Funeral Home on Friday 1st September at 7.00 am for a funeral service at AIC Kangundo Church, followed by burial at the family farm. M-Pesa Paybill 370455, Account MARY. Rest in peace, Sister.
The night shift at Kenyatta National Hospital begins at eight and ends at seven, and for thirty-two years Sister Mary Nduku Mutiso made it feel shorter for everyone around her. She carried a small flask of warm porridge for patients who could not sleep, learnt the name of every relative in the corridor, and had a way of laying her hand on a frightened forehead that doctors claimed worked better than any sedative.
She was born in Kathiani in March 1955 and trained as a nurse at Machakos School of Nursing before joining KNH in 1978. She worked in the surgical and burns wards, and later as night sister in charge of the paediatric ward. Colleagues remember her calm during emergencies, her insistence on handwashing long before anyone made it fashionable, and the way she taught junior nurses to say goodnight to each patient by name.
In 1978 she married Daniel Muthama Mutiso, a young army officer, and for forty-five years she ran a household that moved between barracks and Nairobi estates with the same efficiency she brought to her ward. She raised three children, welcomed dozens of relatives in need of a bed, and still found time to sing alto in the AIC Kangundo choir each December when the family returned home.
After retiring in 2010 she moved to the family farm in Kangundo and set up a small free clinic on the veranda for neighbours who could not travel to Machakos. She also grew the finest sukuma wiki in the village and mentored three young nurses from the area. After a long illness borne with remarkable grace, she died at Nairobi Hospital on 23 August 2023.
She is survived by her husband Daniel, their children Kyalo, Ndinda and Mwende, and eight grandchildren.
“Say goodnight to every patient by name.”