A grandchild to former powerful minister Njenga Karume succumbed to cancer in the US on Saturday in 'pain and despair', it has emerged.
Ms Mitchelle Karume, 26, was one of the beneficiaries of the vast empire of Mr Karume estimated at Sh17 billion but she could not afford money for treatment.
Despite having Njenga Karume Trustees, the distribution of wealth left by the former politician who died in 2012 has dragged in court over a misunderstanding.
In one of the past court sessions, Mitchelle caused a stir when she cried to the presiding judge over her cancer predicaments. It was directed that she's given money for treatment.
She went on to pen a letter, narrating her painful ordeal in the battle with cancer, arguing that she was undergoing financial difficulties despite being one of the heirs.
As the inheritance matter drags on in court, Michelle’s emotional letter that was also shared with the family’s lawyers, painted a picture of destitute last days. In an eerie reference to her death, Michelle wrote that her time was running out.
“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 wrote.
Her grandfather’s vast wealth, she concludes, did not help her when she needed it most, 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 wrote.
It was not until last December when Michelle travelled to the US on the belief that the funds would be unlocked.
She was enrolled for the clinical trials in January, but the anticipated money did not come, prompting her to drop out.
She then expressed her wish to come back 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 enrol him in daycare that also requires money,” Michelle wrote.