Esther Arunga: What Everyone is Saying About Her

Years after her departure from Kenya, former KTN anchor, Esther Arunga, who charmed many hearts on the screen, remains well known. 



Personal grief and controversy have continued to surround her life from the moment she resigned in a huff, joined the Finger of God Church, got married and announced political ambitions under the Placenta Party of Kenya, to the death of her first born son.



The question many ask, quite sadly, is what happened? How could a young woman full of promise, beauty, poise, and intellect fall apart in such a short period? 



This article delves deeper into her life, career, and misfortunes, including what Kenyans are saying about her in the wake of news that she might be staring at a long prison sentence for being an accessory to the murder of her son.



Esther Arunga’s Career



Esther Adongo Arunga grew up in Ethiopia and is an alumnus of  Kenya High School and the University of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degrees in communication and law.



After completing her undergraduate studies in Australia, Arunga, 26, returned to Kenya for a one-year degree course at the Kenya School of Law and was admitted to the bar in Nairobi in 2009. 



She had started her journalism career at Capital FM before moving to KTN where she blossomed and bloomed coming into her own. 



She won the 2008 ultimate teens awards, Chaguo La Teeniez Awards for best Teen TV Anchor/Presenter.



Nonetheless, despite the years she spent in media, Arunga disclosed to Journalist Sylvia Chebet in an exclusive interview that she didn't do enough as she would have hoped to.



“I probably did a total of 5 features and 3 field stories my whole time at KTN which is a pity.



“That is why despite all the years I spent in media, I never developed a single friendship with a media personality,” she added.

Genesis of Arunga’s misfortunes

“As soon as I finished form 4, I came to Australia, again own my own. I lived like I wanted, worked hard, partied hard, studied hard,” she revealed in a past interview with journalist Sylvia Chebet.

“By the the time I relocated to Kenya at 26, although on the outside I looked like I had achieved much, I was very naive and looking for direction in life.

“I redirected my life to God and a year later, I got into the murky world of television,” she regretted ever been an anchor.



Esther divulged that landing a job in TV made her passionately seek God.

“I knew that life I  front of the camera old give me access of hedonism and excess that could potentially lead me down a path I did not want to follow,” she revealed.

It is in that state that she sought for spiritual Guidance where she met Joseph Hellon at the International Christian Center.



Arunga then joined Hellon’s Finger of God Church. She became engaged to Wilson Malaba, an elder of the church, but in early 2010 called off the engagement.



She moved out of her parents’ house to live in a church-owned mansion with Hellon, his wife, and several other church members.



She has since stated that her parents wanted to marry her to a politician in the government. 



That February, she, Hellon, and Quincy Timberlake announced the formation of the PlaCenta Party (Platinum Centralizer and Unionist Party) of Kenya and Hellon's candidacy for the presidency and Arunga's for the seat of Karachuonyo Constituency as well as the deputy presidency.

That same day, Arunga resigned from her job as a news anchor at KTN.



That night, several people associated with the church, including Arunga and Hellon, were arrested and charged with running an unregistered association( cult sect), although the church had been registered five years before. 



Computers and laptops were destroyed, documents confiscated and vehicles impounded.



She and Timberlake both claimed that they were isolated and tortured.



She announced lawsuits against her parents, a psychiatrist, the Attorney General and the Kenya Police for wrongful imprisonment and torture.



Arunga was released after two days and on March 3 2010, she got married to Quincy Timberlake while he was still in custody.



She has since stated that Hellon performed the ceremony at another time.

Arunga’s life in Australia

She and the man in her life fled Kenya in a torrent of bad publicity and managed to convince the Australian authority to grant them asylum, in search of a new beginning.



They claimed that they had suffered torture and unlawful detention in Kenya besides constant media attacks.

They settled in Kallangur, north of Brisbane. The young couple had three children.



She later disclosed that she had gotten her life back in Australia.



However, barely 2 years after their arrival in exile, their son Sinclair Timberlake died in June 2014.



Reports indicated that the three-year-old Sinclair died as a result of blunt force trauma to his abdomen.



His father and former Kenyan presidential candidate Quincy Timberlake was charged with his murder.



Arunga’s confession on husband killing their son



On July 15, 2019,  the former KTN presenter pleaded guilty to being an accessory to manslaughter. 



The 38-year-old admitted misleading police to help her husband escape punishment.



According to the Australian Associated Press, Crown prosecutor Danny Boyle told the court Esther called triple zero just before 2 am on June 18.



When paramedics and police arrived, she told them her son had fallen down the stairs.



But an autopsy revealed Sinclair died "as a result of a severe blunt force such as punching or stamping or similar" and his injuries were inconsistent with a fall.



Mr Boyle stated that Esther diverted the spotlight away from her husband for 26 days.



It wasn't until Quincy was involuntarily admitted to a mental health facility that Esther changed her statement.



She told police she went into the bathroom on the night of June 17 to find Quincy hitting Sinclair in the stomach. 



"He then threw him against the wall," the court heard she told investigators.



Esther claimed that her husband was stating "there's a devil in his stomach, I have to get it out".



She revealed that Quincy had a strong arm and "even a grown man can't survive that punch".The court heard Arunga didn't speak up earlier because she was afraid.



"I was terrified of being alone and I felt terrible because my husband was sick as well," she told the police.



Mr Boyle divulged that although Arunga had not interfered with evidence, her inaccurate account delayed the investigation and her husband's arrest.



"She was the only eye witness to what could be described as the brutal killing of her son," he added.



Defence barrister Katarina Prskalo remarked that her client believed her husband was mentally unwell and she had gotten him help in 2013."



She had not realised how unwell he was until the night of her son's death," she disclosed.



Ms Prskalo further stated that Arunga also had her own mental health issues.



Justice Martin Burns will sentence her on Thursday July 18, 2019.

What Kenyans are saying about Arunga after her confession

Here are some comments from Kenyans on social media:

 

 

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