The family of a 46-year-old Kenyan woman who died three days after touching down in Canada is coming to terms with her death as detectives are investigating her death.
According to reports, prior to her death, Delphine Ngigi spent hours in the cold while looking for shelter at Mississauga Refugee Camp.
CBC News reported that Ngigi arrived at the camp in Dundas Street on Saturday, February 17 to seek asylum but was rejected because the facility was full.
After she waited in the cold for many hours, she was allowed into the building and offered a place to sleep, which saved her from the cold weather.
Ngigi collapsed the following day while showering at the shelter after her health condition worsened and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
She was certified dead a few minutes later but the cause of her death has not been disclosed.
Lobby groups comprising Africans have condemned the management of the facility for the way the situation was handled, noting that not offering the deceased shelter at a time when the temperature was low was not proper.
While talking to the press, a member of the GTA, Africa-Canada lobby group said: “We are standing in solidarity with the Kenyan community and our sister whom we failed to do our part as Canadians and allow such stories to continue.”
Ngigi was a widow with four children who live in Kenya.
She travelled out in pursuit of greener pastures only to die three days after arriving in Canada.
An autopsy to ascertain the cause of death will be carried out before the body is released to her family for burial.
KIzito Musabimana, the founder of Rwandan Canadian Healing Centre founder, has demanded justice noting that the Canadian government had failed Ngigi by making her fall through the cracks while trying to actualize her Canadian dream.
Musabimana said: “The basic responsibility the current government has is to make sure that someone comes to Canada to pursue that Canadian dream are not left abandoned to fall in the cracks…People come looking for shelter and we leave them on the street, in this case for several hours.
“At a time when we must reflect on the work of black people throughout history. Instead, we continue to see tragedies occurring.”
The lobby group promised to offer support to the family in giving Ngigi her final sendoff.
