Late Kenyan Billionaire Njenga Karume’s Granddaughter Michelle Karume Succumbs to Cancer in the US

Details of how a granddaughter to the late powerful Cabinet Minister Njenga Karume suffered due to lack of funds before succumbing to cancer in the United States last Saturday have emerged.

26-year-old Mitchelle Karume, one of the beneficiaries of the multi-billion-shilling estate left behind by the late politician, could not afford to pay for her treatment abroad, according to the Daily Nation.

This was due to an ongoing dispute over the distribution of the wealth left by Karume, which has dragged in court since his death in 2012.

In one of the past court sessions, Mitchelle caused drama after she cried to the presiding judge over her cancer predicaments. The court directed that she be given money for treatment.

While in the US, she wrote a letter narrating her painful battle with cancer, noting that it had become unbearable since she could no longer get medication due to lack of funds.

“I kindly would like to know the way forward because it is such a terribly long time since I was on treatment, it is going to a year now,” she stated in the letter written on March 2019 and seen by Daily Nation.

She lamented that her grandfather’s vast wealth, believed to be about Sh17 billion, did not help her when she needed it, and only brought her “pain and more pain”.

“The clock is ticking while every day I sit by my phone to hear some good news on funds, but three months later I am waiting here; still waiting for my phone to ring, but in return, I get less communication to a point nobody can pick up my calls,” she added.

Mitchelle traveled to the US for treatment in December last year on the belief that the funds would be unlocked. 

She began treatment in January but was forced to stop as her wait for funds failed to materialize. She even expressed her wish to return home.

“Living here has been very tough, my son has no routine in lifestyle as he doesn’t go to school, but I wish to enroll him in daycare that also requires money,” Michelle wrote.

She said the hospital kept on calling to ask if she was still interested in medical attention but she would plead for more time to raise cash.

“What is the purpose of my grandfather’s wealth if it alone cannot benefit someone as myself when it comes to my healthcare purposes?” Mitchelle posed.

Family sources told Daily Nation that the funds were finally sent to her in May this year but it was too late to manage the disease.

George Waireri, one of the Trustees of Karume’s estate and whose Mitchelle’s letter was addressed to, denied that she died due to lack of funds.

“She was there for over a year being treated. It has nothing to do with the availability of funds, at all. The death came as a result of cancer. She was assisted but could not survive the manifestation of cancer,” he told Nation.

Peter Munge, the lawyer representing Karume’s children, said Michelle could not get medication over lack of cash.
 
“On several instances, we had to push for a court order so that she could get funds for her treatment. At one time she addressed the court and broke down pleading for her life as funds were not forthcoming,” he said.