Mother of footballer who died after chaos at Embu UDA rally breaks down as she shares her pain
By Steve Ireri, September 16, 2026The mother of footballer Mike Lewis Macharia has broken down in tears as she recounted the anguish of learning that her son had been shot during the chaos that erupted at a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) meeting in Nembure, Embu County.
Speaking to a local YouTuber in a video shared on Facebook on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, Purity Wanja said she was at work in town when she received a call at around 3 pm informing her that she should try to reach her son, who had been at Nembure Primary School.
“I am Purity Wanja and I am the mother of Mike Lewis Macharia. He was shot at Nembure. I was at work as usual in town. I was going on with work, and I was not aware of any campaigns in the area,” she said, breaking down.
Wanja said she was later informed that there had been a gathering at Nembure and that people were being urged to check on their relatives after chaos broke out around the venue.
“At around 3pm, I got a call and I was informed that I should try to call Mike because there were reports that they had games at Nembure field,” she said.
She explained that football was a regular part of her son’s routine, saying he and his fellow players often went to the primary school field to play, particularly at weekends.
“First thing to note is that my son is a footballer and every weekend they go to play at the primary school field at Nembure. Every day, even in the evening, he goes to play there,” Wanja said.
She said she immediately tried calling her son but could not reach him, a development that left her increasingly worried.
“When I called him, he was unreachable. I called the person who had called me and asked them who Mike was with, and I was informed that he was with his fellow players,” she said.
Wanja said her fears intensified, prompting her to leave work and travel to Nembure, where she found the area engulfed in chaos and heavily guarded by police officers.
“After that my heart felt anguish. And I left work and went to Nembure. I found a lot of chaos there. I stayed far away because officers were there and chaos was there,” she said.
She said she approached one police officer and asked whether a person had been shot, giving him details she believed could help identify her son.
“I went and asked one officer whether they had shot a person. He was slim and had dye in his ear and was a student at Manyatta Institute,” she said.
According to Wanja, the officer told her that only one person had been shot but described the victim differently, leaving her uncertain about whether it was her son.
“He told me that only one person had been shot and that he was plump,” she said.
She then called her landlord to establish whether Mike had returned home but was told that he was not there.
“When I called my landlord, he told me my son was not at home. And there was a boy who told me my son was shot and had been taken to hospital in a bad situation,” she said.
Overwhelmed by the unfolding events, Wanja said she called her sister and asked her to pray for her as she tried to establish what had happened to her son.
“And I called my sister and asked her to remember me in prayers,” she said, breaking down.