Martha Karua house in Kirinyaga County stands taller than any of those that her biological brothers and neighbours have built before. She allegedly erected the maisonette during her 21 years of reign as a Member of Parliament in the renowned Gichugu Constituency. Some local elders think it is taboo for a lady to build herself a shelter with her father’s compound – the Iron Lady thinks otherwise.
NARC Kenya Party leader won her birthplace Gichugu Parliamentary seat in 1992. She would retain the seat for a couple of decades. In 2013, Karua joined the presidential race alongside former PM Raila Odinga, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Mohammed Abduba Dida. She rivalled Ann Waiguru in the much-contested Kirinyaga gubernatorial race of 2017.
Martha Karua House in Kirinyaga County
Going against taboos to build a castle on her father’s land at Kimunye Village in Kabare Ward is a bold step for Martha Karua.
Being a legal mind may have pushed Karua into risking her political career and social reputation to challenge a tradition she disagrees with.
She could have bought land elsewhere for her mega-house but that did not happen. It is clear that the divorced Karua wanted to stay closer to her blood relatives including her father, mother, and siblings.
Her dad Mr Jackson Karua aged about 90 years is a retired career teacher.
On the other hand, her mom Josephine Wanjiru is a professional educator who abandoned classrooms to keep an eye on her children.
As pictured above, Martha Karua’s house is a paradise within the awakening Kimunye village – formerly marked with wooded, mabati, and mud-walled homesteads.
Next to Karua’s main house is a colourful crib that equally suggests power and affluence. Towering trees within the compound perimeter add to the architectural flavour.
Nearby the main gate is a tea plantation with dark green leaves out of exceeding fertility.
Martha Wangari Karua mansion and tarmac road
Sources say Martha Karua influenced the tarmacking and routing of a 3-kilometre Rukenya-Kimunye road through her parent’s home.
The smooth driveway through the Kibau area touches the main road after meandering through Karua’s Mount Kenya region ancestral background.
Other powerful Kenyans from Kabare Ward include former Governor Joseph Ndathi, former MP Bernard Kathanga, former National Intelligence boss Michael Gichangi, and the incumbent Governor Anne Waiguru.
Azimio la Umoja running mate Martha Karua House in Kirinyaga is a fortress in the region. It is evidence of her being an Iron Lady at heart.
