Her beauty notwithstanding, today’s Pastor Mary Wanjiku was once Kenya’s most dreaded terror queen who engineered and executed high profile bank heists, car jackings and kidnappings.
Back in the day when she reined terror in the city, she went by the name Lakwena-symbolic with the Ugandan lady who inspired social and political uprising in Uganda.
In an interview with Daily Nation recently, Wanjiku who runs Jehovah Shalom Ministries in Kitengela revealed she was married to dreaded robbery king, Bernard Thuo Matheri who stopped at nothing to get whatever his eyes were fixed on.
Matheri terrorized the city with his friends Anthony Ngugi Kanagi alias Wacucu, and Gerald Wambugu Munyeria alias Wanugu.
Born in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, Wanjiku could have as much as Sh5 million in her house back in the day. However in 1999, it was the end of the road for her as she got arrested in Githurai after stealing Sh196 million in Meru.
At the time of her arrest, police found her in possession of 18 guns, several hand grenades and other deadly arsenal.
She was convicted the same year and handed a 35-year jail sentence. This was then commuted to seven years and later four years.
On June 1, 2002, she walked out of Embu GK prison a changed woman ready to start life from another end.
She said her criminal life was occasioned by lack of love from her parents who were too busy hitting the bottle.
“I never, really, experienced motherly love,” said the 16th born in a family of 24. His father had two wives.
While she was 13 years old, she tried to commit suicide but was saved. But after she returned home, her mother walked out leaving her to take care of her six other siblings.
“Days after returning home, my mother fought with my father and walked out, leaving me to take care of my younger six siblings. The youngest was two.”
She dropped out of school and joined terror groups within her backyard of Gichugu and Kutus.
Her first heist was Sh70,000 church offering which she stole from the Church’s chairperson’s bedroom.
In 1985, she met Matheri in Kutus where she had opened a bar and before she knew it, she had moved with him to Komarock as his second wife.
Matheri inducted her to city crime which involved dangerous missions all of which she executed professionally between 1993 and 1997 when her husband was killed.
“We were very sophisticated thieves,” she said.
Wacucu was killed by Police in 1996 in Rongai in a shootout that his colleague Wanugu managed to escape.
But six months down the line, Wanugu then aged 27 years old, was traced by police and shot dead at Kabatini in Nakuru County.
Matheri was killed on September 1, 1997.
The now mother of four aged between 14 and 32 years old says she regrets having such a past but she has learnt of the power of forgiveness.
A bible clutched between her fingers has remained her comforter over the years. She has spread the gospel far and beyond.
Today, her ministry has 250 followers.