By William Muyuku
Toronto | August 09, 2026
Happy 60th birthday, Reverend Sue. On August 8, 2026, a beautiful ceremony was held to honour you, and it was a powerful reflection of the love and respect you have inspired. Since I arrived in Toronto in 2018, you have been one of the most remarkable people I have met, a true mirror of the Kenyan and East African community in Canada. You are present in every season of our lives: at joyful gatherings, at somber vigils, and when our people are anxiously resisting deportation. You stand in organizing committees, not asking who is Kenyan or not, but simply who needs care.
This celebration was a testimony to that spirit. The room was filled with people of many origins, Kenyans, Nigerians, Congolese, Rwandese and more. All drawn together by your love and your gift for unity. You are a woman of communities, someone who never chooses between rich and poor, documented or undocumented, joyful or grieving. You stand with everyone, and that is the image we carry of you: a bridge-builder, a healer, a true unifier.
What moved me most is that this ceremony was not your idea, but the decision of grateful people who wanted to honour you. I could not miss it, because you are one of the finest pillars of the African communities I know and deeply appreciate in Toronto and across Canada.
Happy birthday, Reverend Sue. May God grant you long life, and know that we are already preparing in our hearts to celebrate your 100th birthday. We are very proud of you, a candle that lights our community day and night.
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Pictures signed: Thomas Mapenzi (feel free to download and share)
