Wakalucy Fish Palace founder Monica Chege was laid to rest in Karaba, Mukurweini, Nyeri County.
Family, customers and entertainers gathered in Mukurweini to bid farewell to the entrepreneur, who died aged 46 after battling cancer.
Monica Waithera Chege, the founder of Wakalucy Fish Palace, was buried at her rural home in Karaba, Mukurweini, Nyeri County, on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
Chege, widely known as Wakalucy, died earlier in September aged 46 after battling cancer and illness. Her burial brought together hundreds of relatives, friends, customers and entertainers to remember the entrepreneur behind the restaurant brand.
Her name had become familiar to diners across Nairobi and its outskirts through a business that grew from a modest fish venture into a network of outlets serving fish and other meals.
Mourners gather in Karaba
Mugithi musician Waithaka wa Jane was among those who attended the burial. He also performed in Chege’s honour as mourners gathered to say their final goodbyes.
The farewell drew people from both her personal life and the business she had built, including customers who knew her through Wakalucy Fish Palace and entertainers who joined the family in mourning.
Before the burial, Chege’s family had announced a candle-lighting ceremony at the restaurant’s Kamakis branch. The planned gathering offered friends, customers and other well-wishers an opportunity to pay tribute at one of the locations associated with her business.
From a small fish venture to several outlets
Wakalucy Fish Palace is reported to have begun at Carwash along Kasarani-Mwiki Road. From those modest beginnings, Chege developed a restaurant brand with a presence in several parts of Nairobi and the wider metropolitan area.
The Wakalucy name was initially associated with Chege herself before becoming the identity of the expanding business. Its growth made her personal entrepreneurial journey closely linked to the restaurants that carried the name.
Locations associated with the brand included Club Carwash along Mwiki Road in Kasarani, Mirema Drive in Roysambu, Kamakis along the Eastern Bypass and Bypass Marurui. Other outlets were reported in Kiambu Road, Ruiru and Juja.
The business attracted customers through its fish dishes, broader meal offerings, restaurant experience and social media presence. Together, these helped establish the Wakalucy name among diners beyond its original location.
Tributes to a hospitality entrepreneur
Following Chege’s death, customers, fellow entrepreneurs, public figures and friends shared tributes recognising her contribution to hospitality and the opportunities created through her business.
Her progress from a small fish enterprise to a multi-outlet restaurant brand also drew attention beyond the dining business, becoming a central part of how her career was remembered.
For those paying tribute, the restaurant name remained closely connected to its founder. Chege leaves behind the business she established, its employees and a customer community built over years of serving meals across Nairobi and surrounding areas.
