Kinyanjui, Peter Kariuki (1949–2020)

By Godfrey K. Sang

Godfrey K. Sang is a historical researcher and writer with an interest in Adventist history. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of Eastern Africa Baraton and a number of qualifications from other universities. He is a published author. He is the co-author of the book On the Wings of a Sparrow: How the Seventh-day Adventist Church Came to Western Kenya.

First Published: January 8, 2024

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Peter Kariuki was a leading lay evangelist and Bible worker in Central Kenya.

Early Life

Peter Kariuki or “PK” as he was popularly known, was born in 1949 at Kanyariri in Kiambu County. He was the son of Kinyanjui Kahiu and Margaret Wamuhu.¹ At a very early age, Peter Kariuki accepted the Roman Catholic faith, and he attended mass and other services periodically. He began his early education at Rungiri Primary School and later went to Kahuho High School.

In 1978, he was involved in a car accident and nearly died. He was hospitalized, and even after he was discharged, he remained in bed at home for about six months.² It was while he was recuperating at home that he was visited by Elder Joed Ngaruiya and his wife Lilian, who were leading Bible workers in that area. They prayed for him and his family, and also conducted a Bible study with him. He then accepted the faith and was baptized by Pastor James Mwangi in 1979.³

Career

In 1982, he began working for the Kenindia Insurance Company, and while there, he won a scholarship to study in India and afterwards moved to Germany to study insurance. He later obtained a bachelor’s degree in Christian Counselling from the Caribbean Bible International College. He soon founded the Bahari Insurance Brokers Ltd. and also Hot Spring Girls School⁴ at Mai Mahiu (hence the name).⁵

Gospel Worker

Joed and Lilian Ngaruiya became his close mentors, and he joined them in reaching out to others with systematic Bible study. Kariuki used his time and money to share his faith. He was instrumental in the construction of an Adventist church in Kanyariri, which was his home area. He also helped established several churches at Muguga EAFRO, Kamangu, Gikambura, Nderi, and Ndeiya.⁶ Kariuki also had a big philanthropic heart. He established the Hot Spring Girls School to help the female children particularly from among the disadvantaged parishioners. Today, it is a well-established Christian secondary school for girls in Mai Mahiu that educates over 250 girls.

Family

Elder Kinyanjui married Agnes Nyambura, who passed away some time after their wedding. He later married Carol Nyeri. He was the father of Kennedy Kinyanjui, Amos Kinyanjui, Martin Njenga, and Anthony Pere. He died in April 2020 and was survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren. At the time of his death, he was an elder in the Kanyariri SDA Church. He was laid to rest in Mai Mahiu.⁷

Sources

“Peter Kariuki (PK),” Life in Legacy Kenya website. Accessed October 16, 2023. https://obituarykenya.co.ke/peter-kariuki-pk/.

Wangai, Frederick K. The Power of the Word: A History of the Seventh-day Adventism in Central Kenya. Nairobi: Grandmaster, 2021.

Notes

Frederick K. Wangai, The Power of the Word: A History of the Seventh-day Adventism in Central Kenya, (Grandmaster, 2021), 50.↩
Ibid.↩
Ibid.↩
https://obituarykenya.co.ke/peter-kariuki-pk/ (accessed October 16, 2023).↩
‘Mai Mahiu’ means “hot springs” in the Kikuyu language.↩
Wangai, 50.↩
https://obituarykenya.co.ke/peter-kariuki-pk/ (accessed October 16, 2023).↩