Josephine Kabura Irungu – Family, Husband, Wealth, Business
Josephine Kabura Irungu was born in 1882 in Kiangiti village of Kiharu in Murang’a County. She is the third born in a family of six; her mother is a retired nurse while her father retired as bursar from Chania secondary school.
She attended Kiambisho primary and secondary schools still in Muranga County. After completing form Four she started as a village salonist and thereafter joined her aunt who owned a saloon along Koinange street in Nairobi.
She has two children who she sired with a pastor in Nairobi but she is not married.
Josephine Kabura Irungu says she met Anne Waiguru while working for Kenya Data Network between April and May 2012. She was introduced to former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru by a male contractor with connections at the NYS.
The contractor, with whom Kabura is said to have a close relationship, hails from Waiguru’s Kirinyanga County and played a key role during Waiguru’s homecoming party held at her Kiamugumo home in Gichugu Constituency in September 2014 where President Uhuru Kenyatta was among the VIP guests in attendance.
From the introduction, a friendship blossomed that would catapult the once humble village girl to a multi millionaire albeit on stolen money.
How Anne Waiguru lured Josephine Kabura Irungu to graft
Kabura says at that time, Anne Waiguru was working in the Ministry of Finance and as Kabura puts it, she was asked to hand her CV to the former Cabinet secretary. “She informed me that she could link me with influential and resourceful contractors at the Finance ministry,” read Kaburu’s affidavit.
After striking a very close rapport with Kabura, Anne Waiguru went ahead to register Companies and open Bank accounts with Kabura’s. Its Anne Waiguru who facilitated the opening of various companies in Kabura’s name and which would later be used to facilitate the fraud.
Josephine Kabura Irungu’s name appears as the director of the three companies among six mentioned in the Ksh 791 million scandal. The companies include Form Homes Builders, Reinforced Concrete Technologies and Roof & All Trading. Each company is alleged to have received Sh154.9 Million, Sh115.8 Million and Sh77.2 Million respectively from NYS.
In these Companies, Kabura’s role was to withdraw money and deliver them to the people she was instructed to give one of them being Ann Waiguru’s Sister Loise Nyamu Mbarire.
Kabura has a Salon in the City Center along Moi Avenue but it now closed following the NYS Scandal exposure. It is not yet known the current net worth of Josephine Kabura since most of her bank accounts are frozen by the EACC.
Those who have interacted with Kabura say she is sharp, and has an eye for detail. It is said that despite having interacted with the high and mighty in the country and also handled humongous amount of money, she still has some village demeanour.
