Popular media personality and public figure Maureen Waititu has come out to narrate what transpired after former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu was detained, revealing how many mistook her to be his daughter due to the shared surname.
While speaking on a popular podcast on June 30, 2025, Maureen explained that after Waititu’s sentencing, many people flooded her inbox, some expressing sympathy and consoling her over the jailing of her “father”, while others trolled her, demanding that she return the money stolen by the former governor.
Maureen went on to say that for a long time, many people have believed that Ferdinand Waititu is her father, simply because they share the same surname.
However, she clarified that they have no relationship whatsoever and that it’s purely a coincidence. She emphasised that they are completely different Waititus.
“We are different Waititus. There is that assumption; it is so funny, when Baba Yao, went to prison pole to the family, people were DMing me telling me we are so sorry for what has happened to your father, I was like, ‘What? That is not my father.’ There are people who believe I am the daughter. Sometimes I will get a stray comment like rudisha Pesa yetu” She said.
Meaning of Waititu
She admitted that Waititu is indeed a rare name, and because of that, those who bear it are often assumed to be related to the former governor.
She added that she does not even know the origin of the name “Waititu” perhaps her father would be better placed to explain.
She joked that “Waititu” is another way of saying “a bush,” playfully suggesting that maybe her father was born in a bush and that’s how the name came about.
“Maybe my dad was born by the forest, I don’t know the origin apart from him, although Waititu is a different way of saying, msitu basically it means a forest, you can even nickname someone like forest, “ She added
Maureen also shared that she is often mistaken to be the sister of a popular DJ named Andrew Waititu, saying that many people confuse her for his younger sister simply because of the shared surname.
“There is DJ Faro, he is a nice guy, Andrew Waititu, he is my other friend, where people mistake me to be the small sister,” she concluded.
