He was strong to the very end. He was our best friend, mentor, guardian and a leader who was always ready to help and guide us through the turbulence of life. He was a man who fiercely loved his family. He stood tall, sure and bristling with incredible willpower. What a strong pillar we had in him. What a reliable beacon of hope he was. He helped us grow and mature as a family. His strength and his love for us will forever remain a part of his legacy.

The late Charles Mwanzia Mengo was born in 1955 at Kalia, Matinyani, Kitui County. He was the fourth-born son of Zipporah Ngove and the late Mengo Kasavi. In 1978, Charles married Jacinta Muthui and together they were blessed with four children: Gaspher Ndeleva, Crispin Makau, the late Anita and John Mulwa.

Charles went to Matinyani AIC Primary School between 1964 and 1970, and later Matinyani Secondary School between 1971 and 1974. He enrolled at Meru Teachers College for a Primary Teacher Certificate between 1975 and 1977. In 1980, he started working with Postbank where he attended a supervisory development course. In 1986, he obtained a training of trainers certificate (PTC) and later attended a management development course for a senior supervisory certificate (FKE Postbank). Between 1988 and 1992, he studied for an effective management communication course at the Kenya Institute of Administration.

Charles rose through the ranks during his stint at Postbank from 1980 to 1994. He rose from a clerical officer to a senior clerical officer, senior supervisor, senior cashier and later operations officer II. He retired in 1995 as a Postbank branch manager in Eldoret.

Charles was humble, social and a friend to many. He was a man of great drive and tremendous energy, and was also known to be a disciplinarian. He was dependable, reliable, independent-minded and respectable. He will be remembered as a peacemaker who honoured friendship.

He suffered a sudden cardiomyopathy heart condition, which led to his death on December 17, 2018. Until his death, Charles had been working as a distributor for Tainshi products in Nairobi. He was buried in Matinyani sub-location, Kitui County, on January 5, 2019.