Esther Arunga Legally Drops ‘Timberlake’ Name in Deed Poll

Former celebrated Kenyan news anchor Esther Adongo Arunga has officially and legally renounced the use of her ex-husband’s surname. 

In a formal legal filing, Arunga has abandoned the name “Esther Adongo Timberlake” in favour of her assumed name, “Esther Adongo Arunga.”

The change was formalised through a deed poll dated October 2, 2026, and duly registered in the Registry of Documents at Nairobi. The legal notice, published as Gazette Notice No. 16203, marks a final break from a tumultuous chapter in her personal life.

According to the official gazette notice filed by her advocates, Arunga has “formally and absolutely renounced and abandoned the use of her former name Esther Adongo Timberlake and in lieu thereof assumed and adopted the name Esther Adongo Arunga, for all purposes.”

The notice further authorises and requests all persons, at all times, to “designate, describe and address her by her assumed name Esther Adongo Arunga only.”

The legal filing, registered as Presentation No. 64, in Volume D1, Folio 918/3321, File No. MMXXVI, was executed by her legal representatives, LAK Advocates.

Her life took a dramatic turn following her decision to end her engagement to Wilson Malaba in 2010. She subsequently aligned herself with Joseph Hellon’s Finger of God church, a move that led to her meeting Timberlake.

The pair later relocated to Australia, where tragedy struck in 2014 with the death of their son, Sinclair, under circumstances that remain unclear. Arunga served a 10-month jail term in connection with the case, while Timberlake was jailed for 11 years.

He was found guilty of manslaughter in an incident in which he was accused of punching his son in the stomach and then throwing him against a wall before declaring “the devil is gone now”. He died on June 18, 2014, at the age of three.