Former Kenyan Television News (KTN) anchor Esther Adongo Arunga has officially dropped the surname Timberlake, reverting to the name she bore before her 2010 marriage to Quincy Timberlake.

Sixteen years after publicly embracing a new surname, former television journalist Esther Arunga has formally reclaimed her original name, marking a significant change in the public identity of one of Kenya’s once-familiar television personalities.

A notice published in the Kenya Gazette on Friday, October 9, 2026, confirms that Arunga has renounced the name Esther Adongo Timberlake and adopted Esther Adongo Arunga for all purposes.

The deed poll, dated October 2, 2026, was registered at the Registry of Documents in Nairobi and published as Gazette Notice No. 16203.

According to the notice, Arunga has “formally and absolutely renounced and abandoned” her former name in favour of Esther Adongo Arunga.

“That I, Esther Adongo Arunga… formerly known as Esther Adongo Timberlake, have formally and absolutely renounced and abandoned the use of my former name Esther Adongo Timberlake and in lieu thereof assumed and adopted the name Esther Adongo Arunga, for all purposes,” the notice reads.

The legal change restores the surname that once identified her to Kenyan television audiences before her marriage and the series of public controversies that later reshaped her life.

From Television Darling To The Centre of National Attention

Before her name became associated with headlines far beyond the newsroom, Arunga was a familiar face on Kenyan television, building a career as a journalist and presenter at Capital FM and Kenya Television Network (KTN).

Her talent earned her recognition in 2008 when she won the Chaguo la Teeniez (CHAT) Award for Best Teen TV Anchor/Presenter.

Beyond broadcasting, Arunga pursued a career in law. She studied at the University of Wollongong in Australia before completing her legal training at the Kenya School of Law. She was admitted to the Kenyan bar in 2009.

However, her public life took a dramatic turn in 2009 and 2010 following her association with the Finger of God Church, led by musician Joseph Hellon.

Arunga, Hellon and Quincy Timberlake were also linked to the launch of the PlaCenta Party, drawing further public attention to their activities.

As controversy surrounding the group intensified, Arunga resigned from KTN. Police later raided a house linked to the group in Nairobi’s Runda area. Arunga was arrested but released without charge in that matter.

She subsequently took legal action against her parents, police and media organisations, alleging interference with her rights.

In March 2010, she publicly announced her marriage to Timberlake and her decision to adopt his surname, becoming known as Esther Adongo Timberlake.

A Move To Australia And a Family Tragedy

Arunga and Timberlake later left Kenya and relocated to Australia, where their family life would be marked by a devastating tragedy.

In June 2014, their three-year-old son, Sinclair, died in circumstances that prompted a criminal investigation.

The case brought renewed attention to the couple, turning a family tragedy into a widely reported legal matter.

In 2019, Arunga pleaded guilty to being an accessory in connection with her son’s death. She was sentenced to 10 months in prison and released immediately on parole.

Timberlake later pleaded guilty to manslaughter after a murder charge against him was dropped. In 2023, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

The case became one of the most distressing chapters in the former journalist’s public story, drawing intense attention to the family and the events surrounding Sinclair’s death.

Esther Arunga Returns To Her Original Name

The latest Gazette notice establishes a formal change in Arunga’s legal identity, restoring the name Esther Adongo Arunga after years of being publicly identified by her married surname.

While the notice confirms the legal change, it does not explain her reasons for making it or indicate whether it signals any broader personal or professional decision.

For Kenyans who remember her as a rising television presenter, the name change brings renewed attention to a woman whose life has unfolded across journalism, legal studies, public controversy and a deeply painful family tragedy.

Her decision to return to her original name is now officially recorded in Kenya’s Gazette, closing a chapter in the public identity she adopted in 2010.

For now, the legal notice speaks for itself: Esther Adongo Timberlake has formally become Esthe