For years, veteran actor Alfonse Makacha Makokha, real name Matayo Keya, has entertained Kenyans with his impressive and funny persona. However, bellying the happy exterior was a man whose wife was battling cancer for more than a decade leaving him both mentally and financially strained.
The Diagnosis
In an interview with TUKO Talks, the talented actor revealed that his wife Purity Wambui had been sick for about 18 years.
The actor, who was the sole breadwinner, stood with his wife taking care of all her needs for years without revealing anything to the public.
He recounted that he is not one to go asking for help, and prefers to deal with issues alone.
Purity was described as a kind and loving housewife and the news of her death hit the actor hard. While they had been fighting the disease for years, it had become severe in the past four months.
The former Vioja Mahakami actor revealed that he was with his colleagues on their way to work when he heard of the death of his wife.
His good friend and fellow actor, Hiram Mungai-popularly known as Ondiek Nyuka Kwota, received the news first and he was the one to break it to Keya who screamed and cried for about two hours upon hearing his wife was no more.
They then proceeded to work and came back home but things were not the same and he compared that night to a nightmare.
The actor, who encouraged other men to respect women, said theirs was a happy home and she leaves behind their children, the youngest being 11-years-old. He tearfully recounted that one of her last words to him were:
“Daddy You’re the Best.”
The Painful Journey
He also explained that it has been a costly journey that has seen him spend over Sh3 million.
He also thanked Hiram for being there for him, saying he is the best. Hiram has come out to ask Kenyans to support the family financially revealing that Matayo is a very private person.
He knew about her illness about five years ago and saw his friend visit many private hospitals trying to find treatment for his wife and spending a lot of money including taking out loans.
It was very hard to insure his wife because most covers are weary of taking on cancer patients.
He said that the family wasted a lot of time in private hospitals but the doctors never gave him the right diagnosis, not even five years ago when they removed a growth from her breast.
It wasn’t until they went to Kenyatta that they discovered she had stage 4 breast cancer and nothing much could be done.
Hiram feels that had the private doctors given the right diagnosis from the beginning, maybe the cancer would have been discovered earlier. He added that his friend has a lot of debts thanks to this illness.
