30/08/2026
A Matriarch Laid to Rest: Hon. Njong Evaristus and SP Jane Mbungson Honour Mama Winifred Fulai Mbungson.
Colbert Gwain | The Muteff Factor
A story is often told in Muteff, perched on the Ijim hills near Abuh in Fundong Subdivision of the Boyo Division of Cameroon's North West Region that when a person dies, the size of the crowd that gathers to accompany them home tells a story of its own. It is not necessarily a measure of wealth or social status, but a reflection of the lives touched, relationships nurtured and footprints left behind. By that measure, the farewell accorded Mama Winifred Fulai Mbungson was a powerful testimony to a life well lived.
Mama Winifred died on August 5, 2026, in Yaoundé after a protracted illness. Born in 1946 in Njinikom, Bamenda Division, in the then Southern Cameroons, she was the daughter of Cosmas Kimeng and Mama Odilia Nayah, both of blessed memory.
Her journey into service began remarkably early. At just five, she enrolled at St. Maria Goretti Girls' School in Njinikom, where she completed her Standard Six. She subsequently proceeded to St. Martin de Porres Catholic Mission Hospital, also in Njinikom, where she trained as a nurse and was later employed as a senior nurse.
It was during this period that she met her life partner, Bobe Nkwain Cornelius Mbungson, a renowned businessman resident in Kumba. They married in 1965 and were blessed with several children, beginning a family journey that would define much of Mama Winifred's life.
But she was more than a wife and mother. Her life was marked by service and an enduring commitment to the Catholic faith. Following her baptism, she joined the Cadets of Mary and, after marriage, became a member of the Kumba branch of the Catholic Women's Association (CWA). She eventually became President of the Kumba branch, a position she held throughout her years in the town.
Even after retiring to Njinikom, Mama Winifred remained committed to the CWA until her death. Back home, she also became a devoted member of the Immaculate Sisters group, deepening a spiritual journey that had accompanied her through the different stages of her life.
The significance of the life she lived became most visible after her death. The outpouring of mourners cut across geography, institutions and generations, with wake services held in Yaoundé, Bamenda and Njinikom.
Her final journey included burial masses in Njinikom and at Tenefor Catholic Church in Bamenda. The ceremonies brought together relatives, friends, members of the Catholic community and people whose lives had intersected with hers over the decades.
For those unable to make the journey to Njinikom, an elaborate reception was organised at the Fultangs' premises at GRA Bamenda. It became another gathering of people coming together to honour her memory. Among them were Superintendent Jane Mbungson's colleagues from the Cameroon Police Force, her female social group, the Kom community and Hon. Njong Evaristus' SDF family, led by the party's Secretary General, Njong Donatus.
For SP Jane Mbungson, the farewell was that of a daughter saying goodbye to the woman who gave her life, nurtured her and watched her journey into adulthood and public service. For Hon. Njong Evaristus, it was the loss of a mother-in-law who had become part of his extended family.
Mama Winifred leaves behind a brother and sister, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as cousins, nephews and nieces to mourn her.
But the multitude that gathered across Yaoundé, Bamenda and Njinikom offered another kind of obituary—one written not in words, but in presence.
A matriarch has gone home. Yet her legacy remains alive in the family she built, the faith she served, the profession she practised and the communities that came together to give her one final farewell.