The funeral service was held at Mugumo Primary School before mourners proceeded to the Karua family home in Kathande, where the veteran educator was buried.
Among the prominent leaders present were former President Uhuru Kenyatta, Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, Siaya Governor James Orengo, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa, former Attorney General Justin Muturi, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza and presidential aspirant Reuben Kigame.
While the gathering was primarily a farewell to Mwalimu Jackson, several leaders used their speeches to reflect on his life, the Karua family and, in some cases, wider national issues.
Here is what some of the prominent speakers said.
Martha Karua: ‘Kenya does not have to be defined by what divides us’
Martha Karua delivered an emotional tribute to her father while thanking the thousands of people who stood with the family during the mourning period.
Karua said the presence of people from different political and personal backgrounds demonstrated that Kenyans could put aside their differences during moments of grief.
“Their presence has reminded me that Kenya does not have to be defined by the things that divide us,” Karua said.
She added that Kenyans could disagree while still recognising their shared humanity and responsibility to build the country.
“To everyone who came in large numbers to mourn with us, honour my father and stand with our family, thank you,” she said.
Karua described the support as “a profound expression of love and respect” and said it reflected the many lives her father touched during his lifetime.
She also remembered the values her father passed on to his children.
“What he taught us, the values he lived by, the stories we shared and the love he gave us will remain woven into our lives,” Karua said.
Mwalimu Jackson Karua died on September 27, 2026, aged 98.
According to Karua, she and her siblings had spent time with him earlier on the day he died and sang his favourite gospel hymn, unaware that it would be their final song together.
Babu Owino: Questions ‘Two Terms’ supporters
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino brought a political dimension to his remarks at the funeral, questioning Kenyans who continue to support President William Ruto’s push for a second term.
Babu challenged supporters of the “Two terms” slogan to consider the economic difficulties facing ordinary Kenyans.
“If you are a farmer and you have no seeds, you have no fertiliser, and your produce is not giving you good money, and you are there saying ‘Two terms’, I want to ask you, are you bewitched or not?” Babu said.
His remarks came as political leaders from different formations gathered at the funeral to honour Mwalimu Jackson.
Babu was among the leaders who had also attended the October 1 memorial service for Karua’s father at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi.
Ndindi Nyoro: ‘Give Kenyans the Dangote agreement’
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro used his remarks in Kirinyaga to renew his demand for the government to release the agreement between Kenya and Dangote over the proposed refinery in Lamu.
Nyoro gave President William Ruto 14 days to make the agreement public.
“Umesema juzi hautapeana agreement ya Dangote refinery. Mimi niko hapa nikiwa Kirinyaga nakuambia, hiyo agreement nakupea 14 days, lazima uitoe kwa Wakenya,” Nyoro said.
He said his demand was not against foreign investment but was based on the need for transparency.
“Tunasema hivyo kwa sababu katika hizo agreement unapata mambo mengi ambayo inafinyilia Wakenya. Tunaunga mkono investors, but we want transparency,” he added.
The remarks came just days after the groundbreaking of the proposed Dangote East African Refinery in Lamu.
Nyoro’s intervention turned part of the funeral gathering into a fresh political debate over the transparency of major government investment agreements.
Reuben Kigame: ‘Don’t forget me’
Presidential aspirant Reuben Kigame also made a notable intervention during the funeral.
Kigame reminded politicians preparing for the 2027 presidential contest that he was among those who sought the presidency in 2022.
“To the presidential candidates, I don’t want you to forget me because I stood in 2022 before you,” Kigame said.
He revisited his 2022 dispute with the electoral commission and claimed that former IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati's actions prevented him from progressing with his presidential bid.
“If Chebukati did not do his thing, the Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta would have been handing the baton to me,” Kigame said.
Kigame also used the occasion to recall Karua’s support after the death of his father.
“You are the only leader that is here that I remember that came to condole with me in Vihiga County when I lost my father just before the 2022 elections,” he told Karua.
Fred Matiang’i: Leaders stand with the Karua family
Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i was among the senior leaders who attended the funeral.
Matiang’i described Karua as his sister and said leaders from across the country had gathered to stand with the family.
“Today, I joined my sister Hon. Martha Karua, her family, friends and fellow Kenyans at Mugumo Primary School in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, for the funeral service of her beloved father, Mwalimu Jackson Karua,” Matiang’i said.
He added:
“Together with leaders from across the country, we stand with the Karua family in prayer and solidarity as they lay their patriarch to rest.”
Matiang’i concluded by praying for comfort for the bereaved family and eternal rest for Mwalimu Jackson.
Uhuru Kenyatta attends as leaders gather
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta was among the high-profile figures who travelled to Gichugu for the funeral.
His arrival attracted attention as he joined leaders from different political formations who had gathered to mourn with the Karua family.
Uhuru was seen interacting with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and other leaders during the ceremony.
However, unlike some of the other leaders, a detailed public transcript of Uhuru’s remarks at the funeral was not available in the reports reviewed by the time of publication.
Rather than attributing remarks to him without verification, the available reports confirm his attendance and his earlier description of Mwalimu Jackson as a man associated with principled leadership, education, strong character and love for his family.
Kalonzo Musyoka joins the mourners
Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka was also present at Mugumo Primary School.
Kalonzo had earlier visited the Karua family following Mwalimu Jackson’s death and described him as a teacher, father and patriarch whose life had influenced generations.
At the funeral, Kalonzo joined other leaders in paying his final respects to the late educator. Reports from the ceremony confirmed his attendance, although a full transcript of a separate speech by Kalonzo at the burial was not available in the reports reviewed.
Sifuna, Orengo, Wamalwa and Muturi attend
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna was among the political leaders present at the ceremony, alongside Siaya Governor James Orengo, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa and former Attorney General Justin Muturi.
Their presence added to the gathering of leaders from different political formations who came together to mourn Mwalimu Jackson.
Sifuna had also attended the October 1 memorial service at All Saints Cathedral, where he spoke about the late educator’s generation and Kenya’s independence.
At that earlier memorial, Sifuna said:
“We wish that we could still do those dances that they were doing in ’63.”
He added that his generation would continue with the “fight to free our country” so that future generations could experience a free Kenya. Those remarks were made at the October 1 memorial service, not at Saturday’s burial, and are therefore kept separate here.
A funeral that brought political rivals together
The burial of Mwalimu Jackson Karua brought together politicians who occupy different positions in Kenya’s increasingly competitive political landscape.
Uhuru Kenyatta, Kalonzo Musyoka, Edwin Sifuna, Fred Matiang’i, James Orengo, Eugene Wamalwa, Justin Muturi, Ndindi Nyoro, Babu Owino and other leaders were among those who travelled to Gichugu.
For Karua, the gathering carried a meaning beyond the funeral itself.
She said the solidarity shown by Kenyans demonstrated that political differences do not necessarily have to prevent people from coming together during moments of grief.
Mwalimu Jackson was remembered as an educator, father and family patriarch whose influence extended across generations.
As the Karua family laid him to rest in Kathande, tributes centred on his commitment to education, family values, discipline and the lessons he passed on to his children.
His death marked the end of a 98-year life that spanned major chapters of Kenya’s history.
For his family, however, the most enduring legacy was more personal: the lessons, values, stories and love they say he left behind.
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