Former President Uhuru Kenyatta joined mourners in Kirinyaga on Saturday at the burial of People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua’s father, Mwalimu Jackson Karua.
Uhuru was among leaders who attended the burial service at Mugumo Primary School in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, where family, friends and political leaders gathered to bid farewell to Karua’s father.
Also present were Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Jubilee Party leader Fred Matiang’i and PPK party leader Ndindi Nyoro, among other leaders.
The gathering brought together leaders from different political formations who joined Karua and her family in mourning the loss of her father.
Matiang’i paid tribute to Mwalimu Jackson Karua and said leaders had gathered to support the family during the period of mourning.
“Today, I joined my sister Hon. Martha Karua, her family, friends and fellow Kenyans at Mugumo Primary School in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, for the funeral service of her beloved father, Mwalimu Jackson Karua,” Matiang’i said.
“Together with leaders from across the country, we stand with the Karua family in prayer and solidarity as they lay their patriarch to rest. May the Lord comfort the family, and may Mwalimu Jackson Karua rest in eternal peace,” he added.
The burial brought together political allies and figures who have worked with Karua at different points in her political career, as well as leaders from other parties.
Karua had earlier announced the death of her father, describing him as a beloved parent whose loss had left the family mourning.
She said her father died on Sunday, September 28, after she and her siblings had spent time with him at his home in Kirinyaga earlier that day.
According to Karua, the family had sung his favourite gospel hymn during their visit, unaware that it would be their final song together.
“On my way back to Nairobi, I received the news that my beloved father had breathed his last,” Karua said in announcing his death.
Karua described the final hours she spent with her father as a source of gratitude despite the grief of losing him.
She said she was grateful that she had been able to sit beside him and spend time with him before his death.
“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,” she said.
The former Justice Minister has previously spoken about the influence of her upbringing and family in shaping her life and public service career.
Mwalimu Jackson Karua was remembered by the family and mourners as the patriarch whose life was closely connected to his children and the wider community in Kirinyaga.
Opposition leaders rally behind PLP leader Martha Karua as father is laid to rest/MATIANGI X
Opposition leaders rally behind PLP leader Martha Karua as father is laid to rest/MATIANGI X
