The step-children of former KTN anchor, Esther Arunga, recently received a helping hand from compassionate Kenyans who came together to raise funds and alleviate their hardships.
Within a remarkably short span of less than ten hours on Friday, August 4, well-wishers managed to raise over Ksh500,000 after veteran journalist and lawyer, Wahome Thuku, highlighted the plight of these children on his social media pages.
The children, who are the offspring of Arunga’s estranged husband, Quincy Timberlake, and his late first wife, Rose Mweni Gideon, were found to be facing challenges in accessing basic necessities and education.
Grateful for the support, Thuku assured the contributors that their generous contributions had surpassed half a million shillings, promising to provide a detailed breakdown of the number of contributors and the average amounts of their donations.
Thuku shed light on the ripple effects of the marriage between Arunga and Quincy Timberlake, a prominent figure in the Finger of God Church. Timberlake had been previously married to Rose Mweni Gideon in the 1990s, and they had three sons together. However, he abandoned them in 2009 when he started a controversial relationship with Esther Arunga, who was a KTN anchor at the time.
According to Thuku’s analysis, Rose Mweni Gideon learned about her husband’s relationship with Arunga through the media, and Timberlake subsequently left her and their children, disappearing from their lives.
Arunga and Timberlake relocated to Australia, where they faced further hardships. They were arrested in connection with the death of their child, Sinclair Timberlake, in 2014. Arunga claimed that Timberlake had assaulted their child, and she was sentenced to 10 months in prison. Timberlake’s case was ongoing at the time.
Back in Kenya, Rose Mweni Gideon struggled to raise and educate her three children alone. Despite the difficulties, her eldest son completed high school, and the second-born achieved an impressive A grade, securing a spot at Chavakali Boys High School. However, he faced financial hurdles in paying the outstanding Ksh12,500 school fees balance, jeopardizing his chances of attending university.
The youngest of the three dropped out of school due to medical issues and moved to Green Oak, where he combined Form 3 and Form 4 studies to safeguard his mental well-being.
Presently, all three boys live together in a one-room house in Nairobi, having been provided shelter by a kind-hearted individual after being evicted due to rent arrears.
Given the challenges these step-children are facing, Thuku urged more Kenyans to rally behind them and support them financially so they can access education and improve their living conditions. The hope is that with continued assistance and empathy from the public, these children will have a brighter future ahead.
