There is arguably a long record of deaths of politicians, but these are the ones that took Kenya by storm.
In the recent past, there have been a number of high-profile deaths that have mostly followed a shocking pattern of victims passing away, some in mysterious circumstances, and Kenyans have never had a clear explanation of what actually happened.
The incidents of political and public personalities who unexpectedly passed away and those whose causes of death are still unknown are listed below.
Ten Deaths of Politicians that Shocked Kenya
1. Joseph Ole Nkaissery
The former Internal Security CS Joseph Ole Nkaissery was fit and healthy, and in July 2017, he attended a prayer meeting at Uhuru Park. He then saw a few acquaintances before heading home, where he allegedly collapsed and passed away on 8th July 2017.
It completely caught Kenyans off guard because he hadn’t recently experienced any health difficulties. Although a “heart attack” was cited as the reason for death, this hasn’t persuaded many Kenyans years later.
2. George Saitoti
On June 10, 2012, the helicopter they were in crashed in the Kibiku jungle, killing the former minister for internal security and his aide Orwa Ojodeh. The two men’s deaths dealt a severe blow to a nation that was almost ready for elections.
The commission charged with looking into the situation never provided a convincing justification. Kenyans are aware that the aircraft had a problem and might have had a “high concentration of carbon monoxide” inside. But was that sufficient?
3. Mutula Kilonzo
On April 27, 2013, Mutula Kilonzo, a former senator for Makueni County, was discovered dead. His death was so unexpected for a man who was healthy and busy. As of this writing, there are still a ton of competing hypotheses on how he passed away.
4. George Muchai
The former Kabete Mp was brutally slain in another sequence of high-profile deaths by a gunman, but the mystery aspect is that the culprit was never located even with state assistance.
5. George Thuo
On November 17, 2013, the former Juja MP passed away in a restaurant in Thika town. At the club, he was having drinks with buddies. Food poisoning could have caused the politician’s demise.
Read High-Profile Resignations in Kenya Since Independence
6. Otieno Kajwang
Around November 19, this former senator from Homa Bay passed away. Although several speculations have been put up in relation to his passing, the true cause of his passing is unknown.
It is still unknown exactly how, where, and when Otieno Kajwang passed away.
7. Jacob Juma
On May 5, 2016, Businessman Jacob Juma was shot and killed in Nairobi, close to Lenana School, by unidentified assailants. His gunshot-damaged car was discovered in a ditch.
Mr. Juma was a contractor with mining interests who was never afraid of conflict. Because they left no traces at all, the murderers were never apprehended.
8. Fidel Odinga
The death of Raila Odinga’s son Fidel Odinga was reported shortly after the new year had begun in 2015. On January 4, 2015, in his Karen house, the son of the Azimio chief was discovered dead. The cause of death remains unknown.
9. Abubaker Shariff
A prominent Muslim preacher, Abubakar was. Unidentified perpetrators in a getaway car fired at him and murdered him.
Sheikh Aboud Rogo is a second Muslim preacher who suffered the same fate; none of his killers were ever apprehended.
10. Chris Msando
Just a few days before the general elections in 2017, the body of the ICT boss at IEBC was found dumped at Muguga Forest in Kikuyu, Kiambu County. His body was dumped alongside that of a 21-year-old female identified as Carol Ngumbu.
A postmortem conducted by the chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor revealed that he had been strangled to death. His killers were never found.
