DNK International By Our Reporter,Nairobi
Bishop Margaret Wanjiru of Jesus Is Alive Ministries (JIAM),is one of Kenya’s most recognisable preacher cum politician.
Bushop Wanjiru was born on December 22, 1961, in Nairobi and during an interview in the past she told *Daily News Kenya-International* that she was raised in poverty.
Wanjiru’s early life was far from the limelight that she would later command through politics in Nairobi and in her Church.
To survive and pay her school fees, she worked as a house help, hawker, cleaner and casual labourer before eventually securing a sales and marketing job in a multinational company.
Those years, she has often said, shaped her tough, combative personality and her empathy for the urban poor.
Her turn to Christianity came after a dramatic personal transformation, which she has publicly described as a break from a past driven by the pursuit of money and power.
She began preaching in the streets of Nairobi, a journey that culminated in the founding of Jesus Is Alive Ministries in the 1990’s.
What started as a small fellowship grew into a powerful urban church with a strong media presence and a loyal following, particularly among Nairobi’s lownincome communities.
Wanjiru has often cited divine calling rather than a single individual as her inspiration, though her style reflects the influence of global Pentecostal movements.
Her personal life has repeatedly intersected with her public career.
Married at a young age to the late James Kamangu Ndimu, she had three children before the marriage collapsed.
Years later, her planned wedding to a South African man was dramatically stopped after Kamangu went to court claiming marital rights, a saga that played out publicly just as she was entering politics.
Her son, Steve Kariuki, later emerged as a political figure in his own right, becoming a Member of Parliament for Mathare constituency,Nairobi and reinforcing the family’s political profile.
Wanjiru formally entered politics in 2007, winning the Starehe parliamentary seat on an ODM ticket and later serving as Assistant Minister for Housing.
Her tenure was marked by fierce loyalty from supporters and equally fierce criticism from opponents, reflecting her polarising style.
After losing the seat in 2013, she set her sights on Nairobi’s top job (Governor) then later chose to vie for the seat of Senator in subsequent election of 2022.
Analysts attributed her losses to weak party backing, internal political rifts, shifting voter dynamics in the capital and questions fair or not about her ability to separate church influence from electoral politics.
By her own admission, those defeats taught her hard lessons about coalition building and the limits of charisma without strong political machinery.
Blending faith and politics has remained central to her identity.
JIAM has hosted numerous political figures over the years, with leaders seeking both prayers and political goodwill.
President William Ruto, during his time as Deputy President, attended services at her church, moments that underscored her influence, though later relations soured amid disputes, including a highly publicised demolition affecting church property that prompted emotional public statements from Wanjiru.
Known for memorable, fiery remarks and visible emotion in public, Bishop Wanjiru remains a symbol of the blurred line between Kenya’s pulpit and podium.
Whether she stages a full political comeback remains uncertain, but her grassroots networks, name recognition and unyielding ambition mean she is rarely out of the national conversation for long.
For supporters, her story is one of redemption and courage; for critics, a cautionary tale of mixing faith with power.
Either way, Bishop Margaret Wanjiru’s journey is far from over.
Want to be featured? or have a personality want to know about him or her:
📞WhatsApp: ±2540703633820,±254754168624
✉️ Email: dailynewskenya0@gmail.com
🗓️ [DNK-International@February 8,2026]
