18 February 1966 — 2 November 2026 · aged 60
Agricultural economist who taught Egerton students to count the harvest
Nakuru, Kenya Born in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua County Resting at Family home, Ol KalouIt is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Dr. GRACE WANGUI KIHARA, Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics, Egerton University, on 2nd November 2026 at Nakuru Level 5 Hospital. Wife to Henry Mwangi Kihara; mother to Brian and Diana; daughter of the late Mzee Kihara of Ol Kalou; sister to Margaret and Joseph; aunt to many. Family and friends meet daily at Milimani, Nakuru, at 5.30 pm. Cortege leaves Nakuru Memorial Chapel on Friday 20th November at 8.00 am for a funeral service at ACK St. Andrew's Church, Njoro, then burial at Ol Kalou. M-Pesa Paybill 502771, Account KIHARA. Rest in peace, Doctor.
Students at Egerton University used to say that Dr. Grace Kihara could find the profit in a bag of potatoes. She spent thirty-seven years in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Njoro, and she taught the same lesson in every lecture: a farmer who keeps records is a farmer who keeps his land.
Grace was born in Ol Kalou in February 1966, the second of six children of a potato farmer and a primary school cook. She walked to Ol Kalou Girls' Primary, won a place at Mary Hill Girls and later studied agricultural economics at the University of Nairobi, graduating top of her class in 1988. A master's at Egerton followed, then a doctorate at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, where she learned to cook stamppot and missed githeri every winter.
She returned to Njoro in 2001 and never left. Her research on smallholder potato and dairy markets in Nyandarua and Nakuru shaped how county extension officers advise farmers on storage and pricing. She supervised more than sixty graduate students, several of whom are now lecturers themselves, and she quietly paid examination fees for those who could not. Every December she hosted her department at her home in Milimani for nyama choma and fierce games of scrabble.
Grace sang alto at ACK St. Andrew's, Njoro, and mentored girls from the nearby schools through a club she founded with two colleagues in 2008. She died at Nakuru Level 5 Hospital on 2 November 2026 after a courageous illness, bearing it with the same calm she brought to every viva.
She leaves her husband Henry, her children Brian and Diana, her sister Margaret and countless students who still hear her say: show me the data.
“A farmer who keeps records keeps his land.”
Friday, 20 November 2026 at 07:00 UTC
Add to calendarComing together to honour Grace and support the family.
Settling the hospital bill, mortuary fees and the burial arrangements at Ol Kalou.
Daily at the family home, Milimani, Nakuru, 5.30 pm
Contact: Henry Mwangi Kihara
$19 raised of $5,426.36
Colleagues raising funds and arranging university transport for the cortege.
Department of Agricultural Economics, Egerton, Tuesdays 1.00 pm
Contact: Prof. Samuel Rotich
$47.50 raised of $3,875.97
Classmates contributing for the family and the programme.
WhatsApp group and Saturday meetings at Nakuru Club, 3.00 pm
Contact: Esther Wairimu Gitonga
$57 raised of $1,937.98
Choir, catering and prayers for the family.
Church hall, Wednesdays 2.00 pm
Contact: Mrs. Lydia Wambui Mwangi
$42.75 raised of $620.16
Sign in to start a committee or join one to support the family.
Memorial fund
Help the family clear the Nakuru hospital bill and give Dr. Kihara the farewell her students and colleagues want for her.
$342 raised of $5,000
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Hassan Omar gave $28.50 · 1d ago
“With love from the diaspora.”
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“With love from the diaspora.”
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“With love from the diaspora.”
Yusuf Ali gave $47.50 · 6d ago
BSc Agricultural Economics
University of Nairobi1984 – 1988 · Nairobi
Graduated with First Class Honours.
PhD, Agricultural Economics
Wageningen University1997 – 2001 · Netherlands
Studied smallholder market access and potato value chains.
Lecturer, later Senior Lecturer
Egerton University1989 – 2026 · Njoro
Taught and supervised generations of agricultural economists.
Married Henry Mwangi Kihara
1991 · Nakuru
A marriage of thirty-five years.
Founder, Njoro Girls' Mentorship Club
Egerton University Outreach2008 – 2026 · Njoro
Mentored girls from six schools in science and business.
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Grace is survived by
6 people have shared a memory of Grace.
Knew Grace? Share a memory with the family and everyone who loved them.
Sign in to write a tributeHusband
Thirty-five years and she still laughed at my jokes out of kindness. She was the calmest person I ever knew. The house is quiet but her scrabble board is still set up on the table.
Mentee, Njoro Girls' Mentorship Club
At fifteen I did not think a girl from a village school could be an economist. Dr. Kihara drove me to a conference in Nairobi and showed me a room full of women who were. I am studying economics because of her.
Vicar, ACK St. Andrew's Njoro
Her alto line held the whole choir together. She mentored our young people with patience and humour. We are grateful that God lent her to Njoro for so many years.
Fellow student, Wageningen
Grace arrived in the Netherlands in January with a scarf from her mother and a sack of githeri flour. Within a month she was cooking for half our corridor and teaching us about potato markets. Unforgettable.
Former PhD student
She told me my first draft had good bones and no muscle. Then she sat with me every Friday for two years until it grew some. I am Dr. Kiprono today because she refused to let me quit.
Head of Department, Egerton University
Grace was the conscience of our department. She marked every script herself, returned them within a week and wrote encouragement in red ink. We have lost our best teacher and a true friend.
