Martha Karua Mourns Death of Father Jackson Karua
“My father believed in me long before I had achieved anything worth celebrating,” she said, describing him as proud, encouraging and always supportive.
People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua. Photo: Martha Karua.
People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua is mourning the death of her father, Mwalimu Jackson Karua, whom she described as a principled teacher and one of her strongest supporters throughout her life.
Karua announced her father’s death on Sunday, September 27, saying she had travelled to Kirinyaga earlier in the day with her siblings to spend time with him.
The family sang his favourite gospel hymn during the visit, unaware that it would be their final time together.
Karua said she received news of her father’s death while travelling back to Nairobi.
“We were simply grateful to sit beside him, to see him and spend that time together,” she said in a statement.
She described the final moments with her father as a memory she would treasure despite the loss.
“There is never really an age at which you are prepared to say goodbye to someone who has been part of your life from the very beginning,” Karua said.
Karua remembered her father as a teacher who placed a strong emphasis on character, education and doing what was right.
She said his support had been constant from her school days through her career as a lawyer and later public life.
“My father believed in me long before I had achieved anything worth celebrating,” she said, describing him as proud, encouraging and always supportive.
Karua also recalled her father as a loving and generous parent who remained a steady presence in the family.
She said his death was a profound loss to his children, grandchildren, extended family and the many people whose lives he touched.
“I will miss his voice, his counsel, his encouragement, and the quiet reassurance of knowing that he was there,” she said.
The PLP leader said she would carry forward the lessons and values her father had instilled in the family.
“Thank you for believing in me, for standing beside me, and for loving me through every chapter of my life. I am deeply grateful to have been your daughter,” she said.
She concluded the tribute with the words, “Huruka thayu, baba,” saying he would be deeply missed, dearly loved and forever remembered.
Messages of condolence have since been sent to Karua and her family by leaders from across Kenya’s political divide, including President William Ruto and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
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