In Their Words

Rabin was more than a friend to me. He was a brother. We trained together in the gym, played football side by side, and shared many adventures around campfires. Some of my best memories were made with him. On the pitch, we were known as Bonucci and Chiellini because we took pride in keeping clean sheets and holding the backline together. Off the pitch, Rabin printed almost every hoodie, tee, and jersey I wore. We spent countless hours exchanging banter and teasing each other whenever our football teams lost. We may never share the pitch, the gym, or a campfire again, but the friendship, memories, and battles we shared will stay with me forever. Rest in power, brother. Till we meet again. 🕊️

Mahns was so full of joy, full of banter, full of life and happiness. "Me sina social life." "2024 napata mdem." "Hii mwaka nawaita harusi." And of course the famous "Chelsea mliwin." RIP The Best Rabin.

I first met Rabin in 2022 when he walked into the gym. We hit it off immediately and became gym bros - lifting weights, doing cardio, and occasionally boxing. He was full of life and energy in the gym. He always took charge of the workout playlist, took almost all my gym photos and videos, and constantly encouraged me to start a fitness Instagram page. Rabin would always wait for me so we could train together, even staying until I finished my final core exercises so we could head home. In 2024, he moved next door to me, which is how we started calling each other "Jiraniii." The name stuck so deeply that I changed my social media handles to "Girani" and even named my business Girani Media and Tours. We became brothers, real brothers! Fun fact: we actually learnt how to cook pilau together. I remember him saying: "Jirani pika pilau na mimi nipike yangu alafu tucompare notes." Our friendship was full of banter, especially about football. Whenever my team lost, he would tease me, saying, "Jirani mliwin?" or announce to our WhatsApp group, "Jirani amezima TV." when my team was loosing. When his team won, he would invite me over, saying, "Jirani kuja uone dangerous attacking football." We also shared a regular routine of breaking our diets together. He would show up at my door with 'chapati' and say: "Jirani nikicheat kwa meals zangu lazima wewe pia ucheat." On quiet days, he would walk into my house, look around, and joke, "Jirani enyewe hauna life, get a social life." Jirani, I am incredibly proud to have known you. I will deeply miss our football banter, your reminders that "enyewe jirani hujui ball," our annual New Year’s nyama choma tradition, our gym sessions, and our meal preps. Rest well, my brother. You’ll Never Walk Alone.

I love you so much, my bro. And I am so deeply hurt But I have Chosen to Celebrate You. We've been through so much together. What breaks me most are the dreams we shared. We found ourselves in college pursuing a course neither of us truly wanted, but we pushed through together. We struggled, Held on Each other, survived and Finally graduated. We Literally walked from office to office searching for jobs. You made Challenges look easy. We faced rejection together. We were even scammed into working for a company that didn't exist. Fortunately, we got hired together at Opesa. You made work Feel Like Home coz I would look behind me and see my brother. Tukasumbua our Supervisors together Every Single Time. The 2 Brats. We got promoted together. Continued Inspiring each other. And when the company closed, we went our separate ways, but we never stopped sharing our struggles. I used to Call You and Cry. Bro Hii Kazi Nilipata Huku Ngara Inaniua Man. Nifanyeje. Maybe I was Just Lonely. You discovered your passion for Data Analysis and worked tirelessly toward it. You took countless courses and kept encouraging me to keep learning, but I always joked that I would never open books again since Uon. I got a better Job and My bigges Hedache was How To I get my bro To Come here. Coz you never Used to Like Collections. Despite everything not turning out exactly as we planned, I am proud that I was able to help you get a job Where at my Workplace doing what you truly loved. Seeing you become a Data Analyst and having the chance to work alongside you again made me incredibly happy. Maybe your dreams came true. Maybe they didn't. But I am grateful that you were part of my life. Just the day before yesterday, did you tell me you were okay when you really weren't? I am so broken, bro. 💔🕊️

My dearest brother, I lack words, we did a lot, shared a lot, you were always there for me, I will hold on to the last messages we shared You were a leader And someone that everyone will want to grow old with We had plans We talked a lot We laughed every single time we met I remember last year meeting at the shop Its a gift that I remember every single time we met and laughed I love you small bro *Hugs* It is well,

Rest in Peace, Rabin 💔 It's hard to put into words what your friendship meant to me. You were one of the most straightforward, no-nonsense people I ever had the privilege of knowing. We had our disagreements from time to time, but one thing I admired about us was how quickly we always settled them and moved on. The friendship was bigger than any misunderstanding. From our early days at work and even long after, you remained a true friend and part of my support system. You had a way of pushing people to do better, to level up, and to keep moving forward. I'll never forget the nickname you gave me "WAMASELFIE" 😂. Every time I posted a WhatsApp story, I knew I wouldn't have peace because you'd be there with a comment or some banter. Those moments will stay with me forever. As a passionate Liverpool supporter, our football debates and banter were endless. Win or lose, there was always something to laugh about and discuss. Your humor, honesty, and loyalty made every conversation memorable. Today, I mourn not just a friend, but a brother. Thank you for the memories, the laughter, the advice, and the friendship that stood the test of time. You have left a gap that cannot be filled. Rest easy, Rabin. You'll always be remembered, and you'll always be missed. YNWA. 🕊️❤️

I met with Rabin in primary school at St.Peters Mumias and later in highschool at Booker Academy. Rabin was two classes ahead of me. He took me in as a brother while in form one. I remember how scared I was with a topic in Physics called pressure. Literally used to give me pressure. Shared it with Rabin on the night before the exam and he took it upon himself to teach me that topic. Smiled all through that exam. All thanks to him. Rabin loved basketball back in highschool. One time I visit him pale Kilimanjaro house cube 2 and someone was complaining that his kicks had some stench. He couldn't hold back laughing hysterically. Later he takes the shoes out. Rabin was a very considerate guy. He had this unique balance of bantering and still being as playfully empathetic. "Delete hii upuzi tuko na mabibi hii app" would be his comment when I posted a picture on IG 😂. Man, I will miss his wit. Forever in our hearts Rabin 🙏❤️

I love you so much, my bro. And I am deeply hurt, but today I choose to celebrate you. We've been through so much together. We shared countless dreams. We found ourselves in college pursuing a course neither of us truly wanted, but we pushed through together. We struggled, supported each other, survived, and finally graduated. We literally walked from office to office looking for jobs. You always made challenges look easy. We faced rejection together. We were even scammed into working for a company that didn't exist. Fortunately, we got hired together at Opesa. We gave our supervisors a hard time. It was always, "Rabin amefanya hivi" or "Dawkins amefanya hivi." Through it all, we grew, got promoted together, and kept inspiring each other. When the company closed, we went our separate ways, but we never stopped sharing our struggles. I'd call you and say, "Bro, hii job ya Ngara inaniua, nifanyeje?" Maybe I was just lonely? You had a passion for Data Analysis and worked tirelessly toward it. You took countless courses and kept encouraging me to keep learning, while I kept joking that I would never open books again. When I got a better job, my biggest concern was, "How do I get my bro to come work with me?". I found a way and Seeing you become a Data Analyst and working alongside you again made me So Happy. I still remember lunch breaks. You'd be eating boiled meat, nduma, and chilli, and I'd always come over to taste the healthy meal you had that day. I worried about your weight loss and kept telling you, "Bro, just eat bwana." We often talked about the future. Most of our friends wameoa na Wako na watoi. Sisi? You'd always say, "Mimi nataka tu gari na nyumba ya kifahari." Bro, we still had so much to accomplish. That is what hurts the most. Wherever you are, Rabin, until we meet again, thank you for being part of every chapter of my life. Thank you for simply being Rabin. I will forever cherish you. Rest well, my brother. 🕊️💔

What a devastating loss. I met Rabin at the University of Nairobi through basketball. He was ahead of me in the School of Physical Science, and after campus life, we unexpectedly ended up living in the same apartment in Fedha. He was my next door neighbour, and over time he became much more than that. We would cook together, spend weekends playing basketball, and constantly banter - this was a norm with Rabin. Around 2020, during the pandemic, he gained some weight, and we bantered him to embrace fitness. To his credit, he took it seriously. He made the gym a routine and never looked back. Rabin also introduced me to Amerix. This is the period, he dropped sugar and significantly cut down on carbs. For me, a chapati lover, this was terrible news because Rabin was our resident chapati chef, and suddenly chapatis became a once a month event. Credit to Amerix as well, through those many teachings, Rabin decided to learn a new skill in data science. Once he started, he never looked back. What always stood out about him was his commitment. When he decided to do something, he gave it his all. Through his discipline, sense of responsibility, and determination to improve himself, Rabin taught me many lessons about what it means to be a man. I also remember when my apartment was infested with Mendes, Rabin found an insecticide that completely got rid of them. Funny enough, the last call I made to him was to ask for the name of that same insecticide we had used a couple of years ago. Life is strange man. Rabin was a great friend, a basketball mate, a fellow Liverpool supporter, and one of the most genuine people I have known. His impact on those around him will not be forgotten. Rest in eternal power, Rabin Ignatius Kusimba.