When politicians come face to face with family drama

The alleged burglary at Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi's Karen home on Sunday afternoon is the latest in a shocking series of incidents that prove that even the rich and powerful are not less human.

Despite occupying big homes, driving the latest machines and touring the world on a whim, drama, divorce, pettiness, insecurity, burglary, and fighting are also part of the troubles they face in paradise.

At Mudavadi's Karen mansion, burglars are said to have accessed the well-guarded residence and made off with a 40-inch television set and gas cylinder.

"After reviewing CCTV footage, it was established that two male strangers gained entry into the compound by jumping over the perimeter wall between 1630hrs and 1700hrs, where one of them covered one of the CCTV cameras with a plastic object in order to hide their identity," reads a statement recorded by Mudavadi's son Moses after a house help informed him.

They then accessed some rooms at the compound and stole the property before escaping. The burglars jumped over the perimeter wall of a property well-guarded by elite GSU officers from the Presidential Security unit.

Both Mudavadi and his wife Tessy were not at home at the time of the incident, while the son was in a different room and did not realise it had happened.

According to preliminary investigations, the affected rooms had not been attended to for a long time, and the compound's electric fence was not operational at the time of the incident.

This is the second incident in Mudavadi's home after three construction workers working on a project lost their lives after drinking an unknown concoction in early 2019. The well-executed raid brings to mind the 2017 incident when a gunman and a police officer were killed during an attack at William Ruto's home in Sugoi, barely a week before the 2017 General Election. The president was Kenya's DP at that time.

Ruto's family were not at home during attack

"From the exchange of fire, we thought it was more than one attacker because he used different firearms, but after we subdued him, we found only one man dead, plus our officer, whom he had killed," Wanyama Musiambo, Rift Valley Regional Coordinator, told reporters at the scene the following day, on Sunday.

Police said that they shot dead an attacker who forced his way into the rural home, ending a siege that lasted several hours.

Another similar robbery attack had happened years earlier at Betty Tett Karen's home, planned and executed by her adopted son.

David was adopted by his aunt, former assistant minister Betty Tett after the death of his mother. According to court documents, he later organised a robbery at the minister's home in Karen, Nairobi, on September 6, 2011. The police shot and killed two gangsters during the incident.

David told the court that he was framed by his parents, but the judge said that "they had no reason to fix him". The boy was later found guilty of belonging to a gang that violently robbed his foster father. "I have considered the evidence presented by the prosecution and l uphold the same. I now sentence the accused to 15 years imprisonment for each of the two counts of robbery with violence, following the High Court directive," ruled Milimani Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi.

Heartbreaks

Aside from robbery attacks on their properties, the rich also face the universal tragedy of heartbreak.

We all remember when Foreign affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, 51, went through a bitter divorce with his first wife, Josephine Mutua, and later separated from his girlfriend, Lillian Ng'ang'a, with whom they had stayed together for years.

Lilian walked out of the ex-Machakos governor's home and moved in with local artiste Julius Owino, popularly known as Juliani.

"Lilian and I have been a blessing to each other. Two months ago, we decided to slowly disengage. We are on amicable terms and remain very close as friends. We will continue to talk, meet, and share ideas constantly," Mutua said in late 2021.

Lilian, on the other hand, was worried that her life was in danger even though she had ended her relationship with Mutua months before.

"I have seen Mutua state that we are still friends and our separation was amicable. These are Mutua's theatrics and lies. We have never spoken since late August," she said. She added that her boyfriend, Juliani, was also receiving threats.

Ali Hassan Joho's wife filed for divorce

Also unlucky with love is former Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho whose wife filed for divorce, arguing that their marriage is irretrievably broken and cannot be revived. Madina Giovanni Fazzini filed the case on January 26 last year after nine years of separation.

"There is no hope or possibility of reconciliation or compromise of whatsoever nature or kind between the petitioner and respondent," Fazzini's advocate told the court in papers filed on January 26.

Fazzini told the court that she had moved out of their matrimonial home. The Italian also told the court that they only lived as husband and wife for two of their 10 years of marriage.

And just when things couldn't get any worse, the rich also find themselves in very thorny situations, as did Public Service and Gender CS Aisha Jumwa.

Aisha Jumwa: Hubby couldn't marry politician

Jumwa has had it rough since her childhood. First, she was married off after school, and then her husband divorced her just when her political career was picking up because he could not marry a politician.

Jumwa's decision to support Ruto ahead of the August polls made her an enemy of the State. She was charged with illegally paying Sh20 million to a contractor from the constituency NG-CDF kitty.

She later faced accusations that tainted her name and threatened to end her political career. As a result, she became a frequent guest in police cells at Port Police Station and made numerous appearances in court fighting for her freedom.

The State also withdrew her bodyguards, and she was forced to hire Geoffrey Okuto as her bodyguard. Okuto was charged alongside Jumwa in an alleged murder case.

"Enquiries established that the accused (Jumwa) divorced her first husband over 20 years ago. That for the last six years, she has been in a stable relationship with Mr Geoffery Okuto (bodyguard), who is the co-accused in this matter," probation officer Nick Makau's report read.

Also on murder, former Cabinet Minister Njenga Karume's grandson, Kenneth Wathugi Karume, was charged with the murder of his 38-year-old girlfriend Victoria Kamania in 2016.

The girlfriend allegedly fell from the fourth floor of their apartment building to her death on March 24, 2016. Neighbours said they heard Wathugi quarrelling with his girlfriend at midnight before they saw her body on the ground at Gracia Apartments in Kiambu County.

Atwoli disowns Roselinda

Elsewhere, COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli was forced to disown a woman who introduced herself as his wife at a Bungoma UDA rally that was graced by Ruto ahead of last year's elections.

Roselinda Simiyu, who was ushered to the podium by Ruto, introduced herself as Atwoli's wife, saying, "...mzee wangu anaitwa Francis Atwoli na niko ndani, ndani ya Hustler."

This while Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula hit the headlines for allegedly beating up his wife some years back. The politician's wife, Ann, accused him of beating her up, with Wetang'ula separately recording a statement with the police, claiming that she is the one who beat him up.

Ann stated that her husband had beaten her on the night of February 18, 2016, and she sustained injuries on both hands, her chest, and her legs. She was treated and discharged at the Karen Hospital.

And finally, on the problems rocking rich families, a top political family is hiding their second son after he became addicted to cocaine and other drugs.

In 2020, the father of the said addict is rumoured to have beaten up the son so badly that he almost died.

The son was taken to South Africa for treatment before being returned to a Nairobi hospital, where he stayed for months in the High Dependency Unit (HDU). The son is not allowed to walk alone and can't join college.