I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7

It is with great sadness that Daystar U.S. announces the passing of Agnes Malesi Ayiro, wife of Professor Laban Ayiro, Vice Chancellor of Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya on September 21, 2026. Please remember Laban and his family in your prayers. If you want to share a message of encouragement, reply to this email and Daystar U.S. will make sure he receives your message.

Laban and Agnes were married on December 30, 1976. Agnes is survived by husband, Laban, their children; Nelson, Marlene, Edwin, Ruth, Allan, and Moses, and proceeded in death by daughter Lillian. Agnes is also survived by her grandchildren; Joshua, Sifa, Wema, Esther, Peter, Israel, Jabali, Midika, Ngiriemu and Hannah.

Below is a tribute Laban wrote for Agnes' homegoing service:

My beloved Agnes, for fifty (50) years, you have been my wife, my friend, and one of God’s greatest gifts to my life. Today, my heart is heavy with grief, yet full of gratitude. I cannot tell the story of my life without telling yours.

You filled our home with your voice, your laughter, and your boundless energy. You were wonderfully talkative, exuberant, and fully yourself. The silence you leave behind is difficult to bear. You were a kind and loving wife and mother, but you were firm when firmness was needed. Our seven children knew the warmth of your embrace and the strength of your convictions. You prayed over them, guided them, and fiercely protected them. You protected me with that same love.

Above all, you were a prayer warrior. In 1986, you led me to Christ. That gift changed the course of my life, and your faith continued to guide me through the years.

I will never forget one night in 2001. I had taken over as Provincial Director of Education in Western Province. Our province was performing poorly, and the next morning I was to address the heads of schools. At two o’clock, you woke me with a Scripture you believed God had placed on your heart: Ezekiel 37 about the vision of the valley of dry bones. You saw hope where others saw defeat. I carried that passage to the heads of schools, and it became our rallying Scripture. Western Province rose to second place among the seven provinces. The valley of dry bones had risen again. Agnes, that was your faith: you believed God could breathe life into what seemed beyond repair.

For more than sixteen years, illness became part of our journey. Caring for you was a privilege, though I wish with all my heart that we had been spared those difficult days. I thank God for every day we shared, every prayer, every conversation, and every moment I could hold your hand.

My dear Agnes, thank you for fifty years of friendship. Thank you for our children, for your courage and your fierce love. Thank you for waking me that night, and for all the other times you awakened hope in me. I will miss your voice, your fire, and the comfort of having you near.

The God who brought life to the dry bones holds you now. May He comfort our children and all who loved you. Rest in His peace, my wife, my friend, my Agnes. Until we meet again.

Laban P. Ayiro, Husband.