Every Sunday, Citizen TV’s Mother-in-Law star Elizabeth Wanjiru graced the screens but succeeded in keeping her private life private.Since 2008, she has captivated audiences with her portrayal of a strict, dramatic mother-in-law, often stirring conflict in the lives of her daughters-in-law.
Wanjiru was born on July 12, 1945, and she is the daughter of Apollos Mwangi and Zipporah. She attended Alliance Girls High School before enrolling at Makerere University, where she graduated in 1968 with a focus on literature.
In addition to her acting career, she has a strong educational background. She followed in her parents’ footsteps by pursuing a teaching career. She has worked as both a teacher and a principal before transitioning to acting when she retired
Away from the entertainment industry, Elizabeth is the spouse to one of the most influential Ugandan politicians – Shem Bagaine.
The two met while studying at Makerere University where they were both members of the Drama Club.
”We later got transferred to the University of Nairobi and he followed me here. We started the Drama Club at UoN before we got married and started a family here in Nairobi,” she recalled in a past interview.
The two had been married for 13 years before they became estranged in 1981.
”It was a bad time due to what was going on in his home country where Idi Amin was wreaking havoc. He was very ambitious and political and I did not want that life so he left never to come back. We never divorced, however, but remained estranged.
”When Museveni took over, he was asked back and a very serious thing happened -he took our children with him. He already had another wife and kids. I now live alone as if I had no children of my own. They have no interest in coming back; they are with their families and I don’t like to interfere,” she told Massawe Japanni. Family vacation packages.
Children
Asked if she is in contact with the children, Charity, mustering all her strength in glaring pain, said that since the breakup, the children have only seen her once but are occasionally on phone with her.
“There were political tensions. Each has only seen me once. Politics can be very unfair. It has been a very hard life. Living alone is hard but God has stood with me. When you see me, you think I am the happiest person but I am able to mask it because I am an artist. There is no need to wear a long face and yet you see there is no way you can solve the problem”.
