Martha Karua Loses Father

Martha Karua has announced the death of her father, Mwalimu Jackson Karua, describing his passing as a profound loss to her family and those who knew him. 

In a statement on Sunday, September 27, Karua said her father died after she and her siblings visited him in Kirinyaga County.

She said they spent time with him and sang one of his favourite gospel hymns, unaware that it would be their final time together. 

"Earlier today, I went to Kirinyaga to visit my father. My siblings and I spent time with him and sang his favourite gospel hymn, never knowing it would be our last song together," she wrote.

Karua said she received the news of her father's death while travelling back to Nairobi.

"On my way back to Nairobi, I received the news that my beloved father had breathed his last," she added.

Reflecting on the final moments she spent with her father, Karua said she was grateful that she and her siblings had the opportunity to sit beside him and share time together.

"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," she further said.

Karua said the loss of a parent remains difficult regardless of age, noting the significance her father had in her life from childhood.

"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 noted.

Karua recalled the support her father gave her throughout her education, legal career and public life, saying he believed in her long before she had achievements to celebrate.

"My father believed in me long before I had achieved anything worth celebrating. From my school days, through my career in law, and through the many chapters of my public life. He remained one of my strongest supporters, always proud, always encouraging, and always in my corner," she stated.

Karua also remembered her father as a teacher and principled man who placed importance on character, education and doing what was right, while describing his role within the family as that of a loving and dependable father.

"My father was a principled man, a teacher, and a man who believed deeply in the value of character, education, and doing what is right. But to us, above all, he was a loving father, steady, generous, and present.

"He gave us not only his love but also the values by which he lived, and in doing so, left us a legacy far greater than words can capture," she wrote.

Karua said his death would be felt by his children, grandchildren and the wider family, as well as by people whose lives he touched.

"His passing is a profound loss to all of us, to his children, grandchildren, our wider family, and to the many people whose lives he touched. We will each feel his absence in our own way, but we will also carry forward the lessons he gave us and the love that held our family together," she added.

Karua said she would miss her father's voice, counsel, and encouragement, but would continue to carry the lessons and love he gave her.

"I will miss his voice, his counsel, his encouragement, and the quiet reassurance of knowing that he was there. I will miss having my father to turn to, but I will carry with me everything he taught me, the love he gave me, and the belief he always had in me," she said.

In her tribute, Karua thanked her father for supporting her throughout her life and expressed gratitude for having been his daughter.

"To my father, 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. Huruka thayu, baba. You will be deeply missed, dearly loved, and forever remembered," she concluded.

Elsewhere, Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye's family is mourning the death of his grandson, Baby Righteous Ariho Ampa Besigye, the son of Adam Ampa Besigye.

In a statement on Friday, September 25, Adam said Ariho died in the early hours of Thursday while receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Mulago Hospital. 

Adam described his son as a precious gift who came into his life during the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's with profound pain and a heavy heart I've never imagined I would ever carry, that I announce the loss of my beloved and only firstborn son, Righteous Ariho (Rai)," he wrote.

Adam said Ariho was the only grandson of his father, Kizza Besigye, and revealed that the child died at Mulago Hospital.

"Rai, the only grandson of my father, Rt. Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye fell asleep in the early hours of Thursday at the ICU of Mulago Hospital," he added.

Adam recalled the circumstances surrounding Ariho’s birth during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying his son gave him the opportunity to become a father.

"My Rai, you came into this world during the tough times of the COVID-19 pandemic and gave me the greatest gift of my life. The opportunity to become your father. An eternal gift from God," he further said.

Adam also paid tribute to his son’s fight before his death, describing him as a warrior and saying he would continue to remember him as a guardian angel.

"You fought until the end, my warrior. You now rest peacefully in the arms of the King of Peace, Jesus Christ. You have become my guardian angel, watching over me from above," he concluded.