Karume kin to be buried in Israel

Jane Mukuhi, daughter of the late Njenga Karume. [File]

A daughter of late billionaire and powerful Cabinet Minister Njenga Karume will be buried in Israel today.

Jane Mukuhi Wahito, who was battling cancer of the bile duct, died in Israel last Wednesday at 7pm.

According to an advertisement appearing in the obituary pages of a local daily, Mukuhi will be buried at Bahan Kibbutz.

An event to celebrate her life will be held at a later date in Nairobi.

A relative, who declined to be named, said Mukuhi had discussed the matter with immediate family members before her death.

She was of the view that she be buried in Israel to avoid a scenario similar to what happened two months ago to her niece in the US where she died begging for money for treatment.

Michelle Karume, 26, a granddaughter of the late Karume, died in the US in September, days after penning a painful appeal for funds from home to treat cancer. 

Her pleas came against the backdrop of a fierce inheritance battle for her grandfather’s wealth in local courts.

During one of the sessions, Michelle interrupted lawyers and cried to the presiding judge saying she was dying of cancer and could not afford medication. The judge directed the trustees of Karume’s estate to provide the required funds to meet her medical expenses.

Michelle was among the grandchildren Karume had put in his will as beneficiaries of his vast estate estimated at Sh17.8 billion last year. Prior estimates had placed his wealth by the time he died at more than Sh100 billion.

Burial expenses

Mukuhi’s burial expenses in Israel, according to the relative, will cost about Sh700,000. Only her two sons and daughter, her brother, sister, a niece and nephew are likely to attend.

The relative said the family was unaware she was fighting stage four cancer until last month, most likely because she was trying to avoid being seen as desperately begging for funds from her late father’s estate.

The fifth born in the family and the last born girl to Karume and his first wife Maryanne Wariara, she chose Israel for treatment because it is known for treatment of cancer of the bile duct.

“It was a unanimous decision made by family members, including her children and in-laws that she be buried in Bahan Kibbutz. This is because two months ago, we had a difficult time in ferrying the body of our niece. We don’t want to go through that experience again,” the family member said.

“It was such a sorrowful experience to have outsiders to come and bail the family out while our late father’s estate was enviable only a few years ago,” added the relative.

It appears the decision was also arrived at to shorten the grieving period and avoid delays in funeral arrangements as ferrying the body would take some time.

The relative described Mukuhi, whom the obituary says was married to the late Captain James Kihato Matu, as a joyful woman with a deep relationship with God.

Why Israel

Another family member said the decision to bury her in Israel had nothing to do with lack of funds but the delay by the board of trustees to release the money.

The relative said the family settled on the kibbutz, a settlement in Israel, due to the proximity to the hospital Mukuhi was admitted, adding that friends from Loreto Convent and Loreto Limuru participated greatly in the burial arrangements.

Mukuhi’s husband died 20 years ago and was buried in his native Murang’a.

Children of the late Karume have been embroiled in a controversy where they are seeking to oust the trustees he appointed to help manage his estate.

The fortune is spread across real estate, hospitality, agriculture and fast moving consumer goods distribution.

Before he died, Karume put all his wealth under three holding companies to be managed by the Njenga Karume Trust managed by his trusted friends and relatives including George Warieri, Kung’u Gatabaki and his sister Margaret Nduta Kamithi.