The JM Kariuki we knew: Family speaks of revolutionary politician, 50 years after assassination

Instead of a grand celebration at Nairobi’s iconic hotels such as New Stanley, Hilton, or Norfolk—where he once met with family and friends — the anniversary of his birth is overshadowed by turmoil.

The politician, who championed the rights of the poor and advocated for equitable land distribution, would likely be preoccupied with two pressing issues: the discord within his own polygamous family and Kenya’s political landscape.

JM officially had three wives—Doris Nyambura, Esther Mwikali, and Terry Wanjiru.

Half a century after his death, his family remains embroiled in bitter legal battles over his vast multimillion-shilling estate spanning Nairobi, Nyandarua, and Nakuru counties. Disputes over inheritance have left some family members impoverished, despite the enormous wealth he accumulated.

Some of JM’s properties, including land in Nairobi’s Baba Dogo and Lucky Summer areas — jointly acquired with business partners — were sold without his family benefiting.

Some of his relatives lament that prime assets in Eastleigh, Nyandarua, and Naivasha have been grabbed, and the wealth he fought for has lost its significance amid internal feuds.

Read: Judge put to task over JM Kariuki’s will

JM, who stood up for the poor and battled fervently for equitable land distribution, would lament his sisters’ prime properties in Eastleigh in Nairobi, Nyandarua and Naivasha have been grabbed.

His first wife, Doris Nyambura, now in her late 80s, reflects on their life together with a mix of nostalgia and sadness.

“He was smart, intelligent, and good-hearted. He loved cracking jokes and enjoyed rice, chapati, and chicken,” she recalls with a hearty laugh.

But there is one part of the chicken JM loved the most, she says.

“If the gizzard was missing, he wouldn’t eat — it had to be intact,” Doris says.

JM’s love for chicken, Doris says, began right after he came out of seven-year detention by the colonial government in 1960.

“He said since he had spent a lot of years in detention eating ugali, his preferred meal would be a well-cooked chicken. I bowed to pressure, and whenever I cooked him chicken, I would make sure the gizzard was intact,” Doris says.

Calling him a “historical figure”, Doris says 50 years is a long time, but even then, JM’s legacy and values he believed in “are timeless and still live on.”

Doris remembers JM as a daring man who bravely went to her parents single-handedly to announce his intention to marry her without a single cent.

He had no dowry—just a man in love; and with big dreams.

“He promised to buy a piano for my parents and purchase land for his family. He fulfilled all those promises,” Doris says.

Doris, who described JM as a brave man, says his bravery was best exhibited when he attended the funeral of Tom Mboya in Homa Bay County in 1969.

At the time, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, and by extension any other person from Central Kenya, was seen with suspicion following the assassination of Mr Mboya, a popular 39-year-old minister and trade unionist.

“He dismissed my fears that the political temperatures of the day were not favourable to him, and he risked being killed and went to Homa Bay,” she said. “When he came back, he told me how he would have missed the funeral of his friend had he listened to me.”

Describing Mboya’s Luo community as ‘loving’, Doris recalled how JM was mentored by opposition politician Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who was his neighbour in Jerusalem Estate, Nairobi.

Read: Mystery of JM Kariuki’s millions

She says she still feels valued—based on his husband’s achievements and bravery—every time she is introduced and celebrated as JM’s wife.

“JM was warned that Mzee Kenyatta was planning to kill him, but JM dismissed them as jealous people surrounding Mzee who wanted him out of State House. I don’t think Mzee Kenyatta was involved in the assassination of JM. It must have been people who were close to Mzee Kenyatta. Mzee [Kenyatta] loved JM,” said Doris.

To whoever killed her husband, she says: “50 years is a long time to hold a grudge. God will take revenge for the JM family. As a family, I have let bygones be bygones. Those who killed JM have all died and are waiting for judgment.”

Doris says JM also loved gambling at the International Casino and Ngong Racecourse.

“I and my late co-wife Esther emulated him by trying betting, but we were not as lucky as he was. I even later learned that he was a shareholder at International Casino,” says Doris.

Terry Wanjiru Kariuki, the third wife of JM, says if today she meets the person who pulled the trigger that killed her husband, she would tell him, “God bless you. I will not start fighting with him. It’s painful, but I will still tell him God bless you and mean it and move on.”

She added, “Unfortunately, most of those involved in JM’s assassination are no longer alive. Why should I fight and be bitter with their families? We’re all human beings, and we are here for a short time. We will meet in heaven. Life has to go on but the truth has to be told.”

She opened up for the first time about how she met JM at a party in Nairobi after arriving from the US. “He was an assistant minister when we met. He was a jovial, well-dressed man. I also loved the way he loved his children from his first wife, Doris. That impressed me,” says Terry.

She acknowledges the difficulties of polygamy: “No woman loves sharing a husband. I wouldn’t encourage it.”

However, she urges the family to stop fighting and share the property amicably, especially with her and Doris now in their 80s.

“JM’s wealth is more than enough. Why are we battling in court over property we never sweated for?”

“I loved this man to the point of blinding me not to walk out of his family after his assassination. I would have chosen to get married elsewhere and have many children. I was a young woman in my 20s. I would have gone abroad with my daughter and forgotten about the JM family,” says Terry.

JM’s eldest daughter, Jane Kariuki, reminisces about the birthday party he threw for her at 13.

“He hired two buses for my friends and me to celebrate in Gilgil. I remember him dancing with me and my classmates from Hospital Hill School. That memory still warms my heart.”

Anne says she still feels her father’s influence — 50 years after his death.

“One of the defining relationships of my life is with someone I never had adequate time to enjoy a father-daughter relationship, which is typically characterised by a strong bond of love, trust, and protection,” says Mumbi.

Anne-Marie Wanjiku, another JM’s daughter, says if her father were alive, he would probably whip some of the family members for causing disunity in the family over his massive property.

JM’s sister, Peggy Muthoni Gichuhi, mourns the loss of their shared values.“He fought for the poor, yet some of my properties have been grabbed. If he were here, things would be different.”

JM’s niece, Wanjiku Ndung’u, says that many family members have been reduced to beggars despite their lineage.

“The pain of his assassination remains, as the battle over his estate continues to divide the family.”

For JM’s former Personal Assistant Catherine Wangui, the boss was an exceptionally generous man.

“He was generous, kind and caring for people across the country who visited his office at Jogoo House in Nairobi when he was an assistant Minister for Tourism. He was always wanting to make sure you were okay.”

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