Elizabeth Wanjiru—better known by her stage name Charity Mwamba from the hit drama Mother-in-Law—has revealed the painful 30-year journey she’s endured following the breakdown of her marriage and the loss of her children.
She recounted that her marriage to a Ugandan politician began to erode when their youngest child turned 12, a break that deepened after Idi Amin’s ascent to power in Uganda. The final blow came when President Museveni summoned her husband back to Uganda; he returned home—and took their three children with him, leaving her behind.
The loss left her isolated. While the children have only visited her once, they maintain occasional contact by phone. Despite the distance, Wanjiru holds no resentment. She prays for their happiness and keeps the door open, saying, “I live alone as if I had no children of my own” and “I only pray that they may be happy… they know I am open and welcoming.”
Further compounding her grief, Wanjiru lost 10 of her 12 siblings over a span of ten years—many under unclear circumstances. This bereavement, she says, left her emotionally and physically alone.
To defend her rights, she took legal action when her ex-husband attempted to throw her out and had sold their matrimonial home. The case dragged on for more than three decades before she finally prevailed—though she notes that, despite winning a ruling in her favor, enforcement and reimbursement never materialized.
Wanjiru began her acting journey at Alliance Girls High School and later rose to fame in Mother-in-Law. Now aged 77, she remains resilient—living quietly, sustained by faith and the arts.
