Business

Karume holds diploma in business management from Jeans School (KIA). While Kenya was still under colonial rule, he formed a wholesale shop on Grogan Road (now Kirinyaga Road) in Nairobi. It was one of the few shops in Kenya operated by indigenous people.

Later he operated the Nararashi Distributors, who distributed the products of the Kenya Breweries Limites (KBL). Later the Castle Brewing Kenya Limited, a Kenyan subsidiary of South African Breweries

South African Breweries

The South African Breweries , then called Castle Breweries, was founded in 1895 specifically to serve a new market of miners and prospectors in and around Johannesburg. Two years later, it became the first industrial company to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange...

 (SAB) was formed, with Karume appointed its director. Karume himself sought to distribute the products of both companies, but KBL was afraid of the competition and cancelled the distribution contract with Karume to harm his business. Karume took the case to the court stating the cancellation of the contract was unfounded. The High Court first ordered KBL to KSh 231 million in damages (about US$ 2.9 million), but upon appeal the decision was overturned and Karume was told to pay KBL for the suit. As a result Karume suffered severe financial hurt. He continued to distribute Castle Beer for a while until SAB left Kenya, finally ending his transport business.

Politics

Karume was an active figure in the G.e.m.a. association. While Jomo Kenyatta

Jomo Kenyatta

Jomo Kenyattapron.] served as the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya. He is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation....

 was still the Kenyan president, in 1976, Karume joined number of other politicians including Kihika Kimani and Paul Ngei

Paul Ngei

The Honourable Paul Joseph Ngei was a Kenyan politician who was imprisoned for his role in the anti-colonial movement, but who went on to hold several government ministerial positions after Kenya became independent....

 forming the “Change the Constitution Movement” attempting to change the Constitution of Kenya

Constitution of Kenya

The 1963 Constitution of Kenya was drawn up at independence. This constitution, heavily indebted to English law, had already been amended more than 30 times by 2010, but was widely agreed to require a major overhaul...

 such that then Vice-president Daniel arap Moi

Daniel arap Moi

Daniel Toroitich arap Moi was the President of Kenya from 1978 until 2002.Daniel arap Moi is popularly known to Kenyans as 'Nyayo', a Swahili word for 'footsteps'...

 would not inherit the presidency upon Kenyatta's death. This was to prevent a non-Kikuyu president. The movement did not last long. Attorney-General Charles Njonjo

Charles Njonjo

Charles Mugane Njonjo is a former Kenyan Attorney General , and Minister for Constitutional Affairs .- Biography :...

, himself also with presidential ambitions, charged Karume and other leader of the movement with treason, as "they had imagined the death of the sitting president", which was forbidden by the Penal Code. President Kenyatta dropped the charges, but at the same time silenced the movement.

Between 1974 and 1979 he served a nominated MP. In 1979 he was elected as the Kiambaa Constituency

Kiambaa Constituency

Kiambaa Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of five constituencies in Kiambu District. The constituency was established for the 1963 elections.- Members of Parliament :- Locations and wards :- References :...

 MP and was re-elected in 1983 and 1988. Since 1979 he held various assistant ministerial positions. He represented KANU

Kenya African National Union

The Kenya African National Union, better known as KANU is a political party which ruled Kenya for nearly 40 years after its independence from British colonial rule in 1963, until its electoral loss at the end of 2002...

, then the only legal political party in Kenya.

At the National Delegates Conference in Kasarani

Kasarani

Kasarani is a residential area in Nairobi Kenya. It is in the Eastern part of Nairobi, about 10 km from the city centre along Thika Road. It is thought that the name Kasarani originated from a river that flows through the area which has the Kikuyu name Gathara-ini River...

 in mid-1991 Karume moved a motion to repeal Section 2A of the Kenyan Constitution - that is, restoration of the multi-party system. President Moi had no options but to accept the motion.

Karume was reluctant to join the leading opposition force Forum for the Restoration of Democracy

Forum for the Restoration of Democracy

Forum for the Restoration of Democracy was a political party and a movement against one-party system in Kenya. However, it split before the 1992 General elections, the first multiparty elections held in Kenya....

 (FORD), foreseeing its split. Instead, he formed the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (Kenya)

The Democratic Party is a conservative political party in Kenya.At the last legislative elections, 27 December 2002, the party was a partner in the National Rainbow Coalition, that won 56.1% of the popular vote and 125 out of 210 elected seats. The party itself took 36 of these seats...

 (DP) with Mwai Kibaki

Mwai Kibaki

Mwai Kibaki is the current and third President of the republic of Kenya.Kibaki was previously Vice President of Kenya for ten years from 1978–1988 and also held cabinet ministerial positions, including a widely acclaimed stint as Minister for Finance , Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for...

 and John Keen on December 31, 1991. At the 1992 elections Karume stood for DP ticket, but lost his seat to Kamau Icharia of FORD–Asili, whose presidential candidate Kenneth Matiba

Kenneth Matiba

Kenneth Matiba is a Kenyan politician. He was the second-place candidate in the 1992 presidential election.Matiba became a senior civil servant at a young age of 31...

 enjoyed higher popularity in his constituency.

He regained the parliamentary seat at the 1997 elections standing again on DP ticket. For the 2002 Election he won the seat again, but now on KANU ticket, supporting their presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta

Uhuru Kenyatta

Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta is a Kenyan politician, currently serving as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and MP for Gatundu South Constituency. He is the Chairman of Kenya African National Union , the former ruling party, which is currently part of the Party of National Unity...

, despite the long-standing friendship with Karume and presidential candidate Kibaki.

He won the seat also at the 2002 elections . In December 2006, when he was appointed the Minister of Defence. At the 2007 election he represented the PNU

Party of National Unity (Kenya)

Party of National Unity was founded as a political coalition of parties in Kenya. On September 16, 2007, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki announced the party formation and said that he would run as its presidential candidate in the December 2007 Kenyan elections...

 coalition led by President Kibaki, but lost the seat to Stanley Munga Githunguri

Stanley Munga Githunguri

Stanley Munga Githunguri is a Kenyan politician. He was born on 17th February 1945. he attended gacharage primary schools from 1954 to 1957 before going to karura intermediate school.He has a degree in political science and economy from Alaska Methodist university in USA and He is a very prominent...

of KANU.

In 2009 he released an autobiography titled ‘Beyond Expectations: From Charcoal to Gold’.

His wife Maryanne Wariara Karume died in 2003.