Sharon Jepkosgei Kigen's departure from Kenya to Australia in November 2022 marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life, full of hopes and promises. The residents of her quiet village in Moiben sub-county were ecstatic, as they held a special thanksgiving and farewell prayers and a send-off party for their daughter whose international doors had opened. Sharon, a lover of IT, had secured a study scholarship for her post-graduate degree in IT at Catholic University in North Sydney after graduating from Kenyatta University in 2020.
Sharon's parents, Francis Kigen and Rael Chepkemboi, had disposed of a piece of land and held a fundraiser that raised KES 2.5 million to help manage the costs of her travel, living, and part of the study expenses. On November 21, 2022, Sharon left Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, accompanied by her parents and two sisters. She was in high spirits, as it was her first international trip, pregnant with dreams for a better future. Sharon promised her neighbors that she would help them and their children upon her return, having settled with her relatives in Australia and even secured a part-time job while awaiting her classes on February 23, 2023.
However, tragedy struck on February 21, 2023, exactly three months after Sharon had departed from Kenya, when a distress call was made to Kenya, breaking the news of Sharon's sudden demise while swimming with friends on a beach. Efforts by NSW Ambulance paramedics to rescue her were futile, and her body was retrieved from River Georges Macquarie by emergency services officers who were called to the scene.
Sharon's family was devastated by the news of her death, barely three months after she had left Kenya, and the residents of her village gathered to mourn with them. They now face the daunting task of raising KES 5 million to bring Sharon's body back home. Her parents, who had been in constant communication with her, recall that their daughter had basic swimming skills learned in school and was determined to make a difference in her village. Sharon's untimely death has robbed them of a promising future and a daughter full of life and dreams.
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