Former Justice Minister and People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has announced the death of her father, Mwalimu Jackson Karua.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Karua said she had travelled to Kirinyaga earlier in the day to visit her father, accompanied by her siblings.
The family spent time with him and sang his favourite gospel hymn before she began her journey back to Nairobi.
She said she received news while on her way back that her father had died.
“We were simply grateful to sit beside him, to see him and spend that time together. I did not know I would soon be looking back on those moments with such tenderness, but I am deeply grateful to have them,” Karua said.
Karua described her father as a principled man, teacher and strong believer in character, education and doing what is right.
She said Jackson remained one of her strongest supporters throughout her life, from her school days and legal career to her years in public life.
“My father believed in me long before I had achieved anything worth celebrating,” she said, adding that he was “always proud, always encouraging, and always in my corner.”
Karua said her father was, above all, a loving and generous parent whose values and guidance shaped the family.
His death, she said, was a profound loss to his children, grandchildren, wider 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.
Karua concluded her tribute by thanking her father for believing in her, standing by her and loving her throughout her life.
“Huruka thayu, baba. You will be deeply missed, dearly loved, and forever remembered,” she said.
Jackson Karua and his wife, Josephine Wanjiru, have previously spoken publicly about their daughter, including in 2022 when she was selected as Raila Odinga’s running mate in the presidential election.
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