The step-children of former KTN anchor, Esther Arunga, were offered a lifeline after Kenyans of goodwill rallied to raise funds and ease their hardships.
On Friday, August 4, wellwishers raised over Ksh500,000 in less than ten hours after the veteran journalist, Wahome Thuku, shared their plight on his social media pages.
Thuku, who doubles up as a lawyer, followed up on the lives of the children sired by Arunga's estranged husband, Quincy Timberlake and his first wife, the late Rose Mweni Gideon, and ascertained that they were struggling to access basic needs and education.
"Your contribution has hit way past half a million shillings. I'll give a better breakdown of how many people have contributed and the average figures of your contributions," Wahome Thuku assured.
In his posts, he further explained how the marriage between Arunga and Finger of God Church official Quincy Timberlake had ripple effects on the children who were reportedly abandoned after the duo embarked on a controversial love affair.
According to his analysis, Timberlake, an activist and former presidential aspirant, married Rose Mweni Gideon in the 1990s.
Timberlake and Mweni lived together in Komarock, Nairobi and were blessed with three sons. He, however, deserted them in 2009 for Esther Arunga, then a KTN anchor.
"Rose was interviewed in several media houses thereafter, explaining how she learned of the husband’s relationship with Esther through the media. She said after the news broke out, Timberlake came home one day, took away his stuff and left, never to be seen again," Thuku narrated.
Arunga and her husband, who also doubled as a political activist, relocated to Australia, where they ran into more woes. The duo were apprehended for the demise of their child, Sinclair Timberlake, in 2014.
The media personality recounted her earlier statement that the child fell down the staircase of their Australian home and claimed that Timberlake rather assaulted him. Arunga was handed a 10-month sentence and immediately freed on parole as Timberlake's case went on.
Back home, Mweni wallowed into depression, passed away in March 2022, and was buried in Makueni a month later, on April 8, 2022. She had struggled to nurture her three children and sponsor their education.
Her firstborn completed High School through despite facing hardship, while the secondborn scored an impressive A grade to earn a spot at Chavakali Boys High School.
"You would imagine sitting for an examination just after the mother’s demise and passing like that. Now he is hoping to join University and take a good course.
"His problem, he has a school fees balance of Ksh12,500 so he can't receive his university admission letter. That’s him," Thuku narrated.
According to the journalist, the secondborn is expected to face significant hurdles in financing his university fees. As a result, Thuku urged more Kenyans to join the course and support Quincy Timberlake's children.
"For the last born, having passed primary school. He was supported by the mother and a few friends and got enrolled at Mavoko High School in Machakos County.
"He schooled for two terms, developed medical issues and dropped out. He is now at Green Oak, combining both Form 3 and Form 4 work. That was the only way to save him from depression, " Thuku added.
He also revealed that the lastborn is struggling to clear a Ksh33,000 school fee arrears. The three boys live together in a one-room house in Nairobi.
"I am told they were housed there by a well-wisher after being kicked out of their house over rent arrears," his post read.
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