Court stops MP Murunga’s burial as woman sues for inclusion
Matungu MP Justus Murunga during a past event.
A Nairobi court has temporarily stopped burial of Matungu MP Justus Murunga.
Milimani Principal Magistrate Ann Makau also certified the case filed by Ms Agnes Wangui Wambiri as urgent and fixed hearing for November 26.
The court directed her to give two other women she has listed as respondents, Ms Christabel and Grace Murunga, with the documents of the case so that they can respond to her claims.
In the case, Ms Wambiri wants to be allowed to participate in the funeral arrangements and burial of the lawmaker.
She also wants court to order for collection of DNA samples from the body and her two children for comparison and ascertainment of their paternity.
Ms Wambiri says she had a relationship with the lawmaker since 2012, an affair that led to the birth of two children aged seven and three years.
She claims she met the MP in 2012 when he was a supervisor at Embakasi Ranching while she was a businesswoman engaged in sale of beverages and snacks within Sewage area in Ruai.
“All along the deceased intimated to me that he lived in Utawala with Ms Christabel Murunga and in May 2016 he rented a house for me and our son in Ruai,” claims the woman in court papers.
She further claims the MP used to pay their monthly rent and maintenance costs through M-Pesa.
However, the relationship became strained in 2017 after Murunga was elected to Parliament.
“The deceased never wanted the public nor his family to learn of the existence of these two children and even denied me his identification card for purposes of procuring birth certificates for the children,” she claims.
However, after several talks and mutual agreement he resumed his support but in a staggered manner. She insists the minors are biological children of the MP.
“Prior to his death, I had spoken to him on November 12, 2020 checking up on him after being discharged from hospital. He sent me Sh1300 for gas refill and later Sh4000 as maintenance costs,” Ms Wambiri claims in her court papers.
By seeking court’s intervention, the woman says she is apprehensive that there may be concerted efforts by two people she named as Christabel and Grace Murunga to deny her children and herself access and participation in the burial arrangements.
