The story of Esther Adongo Arunga, the former KTN news anchor has all buzzworthy ingredients of a telenovela drama, which culminates with a love gone soar, loneliness, lawsuits and murder. Arunga was once a charming television personality who bestrode the fourth estate like a colossus, yet that was all gone as she transformed to a rebellious lady whose marriage destroyed all her achievements.
Arunga was brought up in Western Kenya and was a loyal Seventh Day Adventist christian who sang to the canticles of this denomination. However, in 2010, Arunga was on a full throttle defiance against her parents after she found love in Quincy Timberlake. She resigned from her job, got arrested, denounced her church for a controversial one and even announced a new political outfit that would see her run for the deputy presidential seat.
Love affair With Quincy Timberlake
In the maiden days of 2010, Esther Arunga was arrested and detained at Muthaiga Police Station over allegations of operating an unregistered organization. The controversial Finger of God church was also linked to her boyfriend Quincy Timberlake and distant relative Joseph Hellon.
Within a few days, Arunga was taken to a psychiatric hospital, something that she found to be an infringement of her rights. With her parents doing all they could to shutter her relationship with Timberlake, they also detained her at their home.
However, all these happenings seemed to have fueled Arunga’s plans to get married to Timberlake. She accused her parents of meddling into her affairs and unlawful detention and went on to sue them alongside a psychiatrist who allegedly injected her with sedative medication for a whooping Ksh 300 million.
Arunga held a press conference in March, 2010 detailing her troubles and then made a big announcement that she was officially married to Quincy Timberlake. It was rather absurd because by this time the latter was still held up by the police.
“I was taken to Chiromo Medical Centre and was incarcerated. I wasn’t allowed any phone call nor visitors except my family.”
“Previously you’ve known me as Esther Adongo Arunga. I have conducted a civil ceremony with Quincy and I am now married to Quincy Timberlake. From now henceforth, I will be known as Esther Adongo Timberlake,” she said.
Days later, Arunga was yet again in the limelight, this time with the presence of Quincy. With glaring cameras, the duo took a long embrace which was followed by two kisses. An upbeat Quincy set records straight that he had conquered the heart of Arunga.
“She is now mine, proud of her. Nothing shall intimidate us. No frustrations. Nothing shall push us, we are here to stay,” he said.
PlaCenta party
Perhaps to cool matters, Esther Arunga detailed the formation of the Platinum Centralizer and Unionist Party of Kenya (PlaCenta) which brought together individuals within her circle as key stakeholders.
Arunga announced that Joseph Hellon was going to vie for the country’s top seat while she would be his running mate. Quincy Timberlake would be the prime minister were they to clinch power.
Severing ties with her father
Unlike the biblical Esther who was known for her obedience and humility, Arunga had the audacity to point out her frosty relationship with her father. She accused him of conspiring with authorities in frustrating and intimidating her.
“This is my statement: To any forces that are still struggling to frustrate my marriage, you are not going anywhere. We are going to be sueing top government officials who have been compromised by my father to threaten, frustrate and kill the human being in us,” she said.
Moving to Australia and the death of Sinclair Timberlake
Arunga disappeared from the limelight and is reported to have settled in Australia in 2012. The move was a way to escape torrents of bad publicity.
Because Arunga had a background education in law, and had even been admitted to the bar in Kenya, she practised law at the New South Wales Supreme Court. Later on, her husband Quincy joined her after he was granted asylum by Australian authorities.
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However, the controversial death of their 3 year old son would sent shockwaves with the couple soaking in yet again another storm. They were not going to find their way out this time.
Sinclair Timberlake, an innocent child breathed his last in June, 2014. Initially, Arunga indicated that her son died after he fell on the stairs. This was not the case as an autopsy revealed the cause of the death was blunt trauma.
At one time, a Citizen TV journalist sought to find out Esther Arunga’s side of the story by traveling to Australia. However, Arunga who once eked a living from news anchoring had this time developed a phobia of the glare of the cameras. She was clear that she wouldn’t allow to be captured by the camera.
It was revealed that she lived alone after her other kids were taken to a children home. Her isolation from the world cut a narrative of someone who was going through the doldrums as she had her curtains drawn at 2 p.m. She chose to have her lawyer talk about the death of Sinclair.
Arunga changes her side of the story
Arunga later confessed that his husband, Quincy Timberlake pressed the child against the wall. It is reported that Quincy also punched his abdomen as a way of exorcising ‘demons and aliens’.
Initially she had chosen to give a false account as a way of protecting Quincy Timberlake because she was afraid of being lonely. In 2019, Arunga was sentenced to a 10 month jail term with immediate parole over being an accessory to murder.
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