46-year-old Delphina Wambui Ngigi, a mother of 4 children, sadly lost her life after suffering from hypothermia. She had spent so many hours in the Canadian cold of -4 to -6 degrees while seeking asylum in Canada.
Hours later after being admitted into the asylum, she went into a state of shock. Delphina was rushed to the Mississauga Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Her death sent shockwaves among the Kenyan community living in Canada who held a candle vigil in her name. They are also at the forefront of plans to repatriate her body for the burial in Kenya.
In an interview with Jeremy Damaris, a Kenyan woman who was identified as Teresia Wanjiku noted that she was a close friend of the deceased. Teresia revealed that Delphina landed in Canada on a visit visa seeking a better life for herself and her 4 children.
“From when she got a visa, she called me and told me she would come here to Toronto. We even talked for 45 minutes before she died. She had just lost her job in Kenya after her dad became ill. She just wanted to come here to look for money for her kids.
Delphina landed in Canada on 14th February. However, upon arrival at the airport, the woman filed for asylum, technically implying that she did not know anyone in the country.
Kenyan mom of four dies in Canada after spending hours in cold seeking asylum
“When she arrived, I asked my friend to go pick her up from the airport and bring her to my house because I was busy at work. I wanted her to come to my house for a night so that the following day, I would take her to the shelter,” Teresia continued.
Teresia and Delphina finally met. Because of the complicated legal situation in Canada, Teresia couldn’t host her friend for long. Together with another friend, they took Delphina to a shelter to report her lack of housing.
“She later called me and told me she was told to wait outside in the cold; I told her to wait as instructed. I would not have hosted her because she had to go to a shelter; she had sought asylum in the airport,” Wanjiku painfully recounted.
“This means she was a refugee and not a visitor. She stayed in line for too long. The following day I checked on her and in our conversation, I told her to ask them if she could take a shower. That was when we talked last. Minutes later, I was informed that she had died.”
