Molo MP reveals surprising origin of his surname
Molo Member of Parliament Francis Kuria Kimani has shared the unexpected story behind his name, revealing that his surname actually comes from his grandfather rather than his father.
Speaking during a parliamentary session on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, Kimani explained that although his official name is Francis Kuria Kimani, he is not the biological son of a man named Kimani.
Instead, the legislator stated that he was raised by a single mother and later adopted his grandfather’s surname during his primary school education.
“My name is an interesting story. Kimani is not my dad; I am a child of a single mother called Lucy Nduta,” Kuria revealed.
“But I was named after my grandfather who was named Francis Kuria Kimani,” he added.
Kimani recalled that while in school, he initially used the name Francis Kuria Nduta, taking on his mother’s surname.
However, this stood out, as he was the only pupil with a woman’s name as a surname — a detail that made him feel different from his peers.
This, he says, pushed him to change his name when he registered for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations.
“When it came to registering for my KCPE because I’m named after my grandfather Francis Kuria Kimani, I named myself after my grandfather and ended up Francis Kuria Kimani,” he stated.
The parliamentarian noted that the order of his surnames isn’t important to him because of this unique naming situation.
“Whether you call me Kuria Kimani or Kimani Kuria, it doesn’t even matter because I’m not a son of Kimani. My Christian name is Francis,” he clarified.
During the same address, Kuria paid tribute to his late grandfather, whom he credited with making sacrifices to provide for his education and well-being.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to that great man, my grandfather, who brought me up, who educated me and sold everything he had to ensure I had the best education he could afford. Unfortunately, he died during COVID. May his soul rest in peace,” the MP said.
