Dinah Kituyi Oyier, the widow of the late former KTN journalist Michael Oyier moved family and friends during the memorial service held on Wednesday, May 1, with an emotional tribute.
Dina spoke about her life with Michael, narrating the moments they shared and expressing how he become an integral part of her life. She said that she had grown fond of him, his children and his brothers.
She noted that she did not know Michael as the popular media guy, adding that if she would have known that when they met, she would not have agreed to date him. However, she met her late husband under absolutely different circumstances.
Although only married for two years, Dinah said that she had been left helpless because Michael took good care of her including fueling her car and paying for bills which she had no idea how to navigate when he died.
“Every Monday, my car would be clean and with full talk fuel. Last week I was worried that if our lights go off, I have no clue how to load those tokens. Our WIFI went off and I had no clue how to go through the process and the Oyier boys were there helping,” she said.
Also Read: Ugandan Journalist Narrates How Michael Oyier Helped Her Survive at KTN
How Michael Oyier and Dinah Met
Dinah narrated that she met Michael for the first time during a session that she thought was a counselling session. As a therapist, she thought that Michael wanted her services and began praying for him.
However, she remembered Michael from their childhood in South B estate when they were neighbors. When the late journalist learnt that he insisted that they meet. The two had come from long periods of being single and Dinah believed that she was not yet ready to date.
“We were neighbors in South B and the only moment I remembered of him was when his mom died, and their gate was open. When I mentioned that to him, he insisted that we needed to meet.
“The first time I met him was on October 1, 2021, and I thought that I was going as a therapist. I started praying for him before I met him, and I had a vision of being in a red kitchen and Michael holding me. I thought I was going to a family man with a wife and children, so I carried bread and milk when I went to his place,” she narrated.
Michael shared his life with Dinah including his struggles in the media industry, his weaknesses and what he was working on.
A few weeks Later, Michael asked her to be his girlfriend.
“He laid down his life to me, he told me about his struggles and weaknesses and what he was working on.
“When he asked me to be his girlfriend, he went ahead to onboard me on what that means. He told me that ‘when you are my girlfriend don’t call me Mike, I am Michael. You cannot call me babe, sweetheart or honey, just call me Michael. So, I used to call me my Michael,” added Dinah.
Also Read: Waiguru’s Aide Pens Moving Letter to Michael Oyier
Marriage Proposal and Life Together
Michael Oyier, although a romantic and Spanish speaking man, proposed to her wife over the phone at 6:00 am in the morning.
He had told Dinah earlier that he would marry her, but she did not know that a proposal would come only a few months down the line, after they started dating.
“He told me that one day he would ask me to marry him, and I would be a mother to his children and siblings. One morning three months down the line he called me at around 6:00 am and he said, ‘I am marrying you in May, you choose the date,’ I asked him, “how could you propose to me over the phone?” he laughed and that was that.
“From there he wanted to move with speed, and I could not understand back then, I did not know that he only had two years to enjoy marriage no wonder the speed,” Dinah said.
She described him as a wonderful husband with a presence that could not be ignored. Dinah explained that she would miss her husband terrible when they were apart and could not understand why. His voice calmed her down and his presence was home to her.
“When I was dating Michael and getting married to him, it was never a thing of seeing him and having butterflies. I was not his type and we discussed it openly. Neither was he, my type. But God taught us that we were short sited. I did not know the Michael that was being described during the tribute.
“When he would call, just hearing his voice would make everything okay. When he travelled, he would have separation anxiety and his children would joke that ‘now your husband will be moody and he will be throwing tantrums when you are not here,” she explained.
Michael Oyier died on Saturday, April 20, at around 2.30 pm while receiving treatment at a Nairobi hospital.
