President William Ruto has condoled with People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua following the death of her father, Mwalimu Jackson Karua.
Ruto said he had received the news with deep sorrow, describing the late Mwalimu Karua as a teacher who devoted his life to education and service.
“I have received with deep sorrow the news of the passing of Mwalimu Jackson Karua, father of Martha Karua,” Ruto said.
The President said Mwalimu Karua touched generations through his work and left a lasting impact on many lives.
“We join Martha, the Karua family, relatives and friends in mourning this loss and honouring a life of service,” Ruto added.
He sent his thoughts and prayers to the family, asking God to grant them strength and comfort during the difficult period.
“Martha, the Karua family, relatives and friends” are mourning the loss of Mwalimu Jackson Karua, who died on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
Karua shares final moments with father
Karua announced her father’s death on Sunday evening, revealing that she had visited him in Kirinyaga earlier in the day alongside her siblings.
She said the family spent time with him and sang his favourite gospel hymn, 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.
She said she was grateful for the opportunity to sit beside her father 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.
Karua remembered her father as a principled teacher who valued character, education and doing what was right.
She said Mwalimu Karua remained one of her strongest supporters from her school days through her legal career and public life.
“My father believed in me long before I had achieved anything worth celebrating,” Karua said.
She described him as a loving, steady and generous father who gave his children values that would remain with them long after his death.
Karua said she would miss her father’s voice, counsel and encouragement, as well as the reassurance of knowing that he was always there for her.
“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,” she said.
She concluded her tribute with a farewell to her father, saying: “Huruka thayu, baba. You will be deeply missed, dearly loved, and forever remembered.”
