President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga on Monday led the country in mourning Prof Odingo who died on Saturday at Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi. Terming the death as unfortunate, President Kenyatta said his demise has robbed the country and the world of a great climate scientist whose contribution to the global struggle against climate change will be dearly missed.
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Prof Odingo was the vice-chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) when it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, jointly with former US Vice President Al Gore. He held the position for 11 years.
Mr Kenyatta mourned the deceased as a Kenyan scientist who helped raise the country’s profile internationally through his contributions to the global action against climate change.
“Many people across the world know Prof Odingo as a highly accomplished climate change scientist and scholar who helped steer United Nations efforts to tackle climate change for over a decade,” he said in a statement.
He pointed out that Prof Odingo’s great work at the IPCC helped the UN agency earn a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, making him Kenya’s second Nobel Laureate after Prof Wangari Maathai.
The President said Prof Odingo’s rich research work will continue to be a reference point for future generations as the world steps up the battle against climate change.
“As a country, we appreciate that the international community recognized the work of the great Kenyan scholar and gave him the platform to share his research work and experience, in the process raising Kenya’s profile globally."
Besides his long career in university teaching, research and international service, Prof Odingo, who earned his PhD in Geography from the University of Liverpool in 1963, becoming one of the first Kenyans to get a PhD. He also served the country in several roles including at the National Climate Change Activities Coordination Committee (NCCACC).
Mr Odinga described Prof Odingo as a brilliant scholar and great teacher who gifted a long line of students with knowledge.
“We lost him just when our country and humanity needed his knowledge the most. We are however grateful for the contribution he made to our shared planet,” said Mr Odinga.
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President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday eulogized Chris Kirubi as a seasoned businessman, entrepreneur, and industrialist who founded and successfully ran some of Kenya’s largest corporations. Kirubi died at 1 pm on Monday after a long battle with cancer, his family said in a statement. He was 80 years old. The alumnus of Friends School Kamusinga in Bungoma County is associated with some of Kenya’s leading corporates among them Centum Investments, Haco Industries, and Capital Group.
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Former Gem Member of Parliament Washington Jakoyo Midiwo has died, his family and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) announced on Monday evening.
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[li]President Uhuru Kenyatta eulogized the outspoken politician as a forthright, brave, and straightforward leader, who spoke his mind at all times.[/li][/ul]
The cause of the 54-year-old’s death was not immediately clear.
Via Twitter, the party led by politician Raila Odinga said: "Sad day for our party. We have just lost a gallant son of the soil, a founder member of the Change Movement, and a three-time Member of Parliament for Gem. He was a defender of the party and never shied away from speaking the truth.
It was a double tragedy for the family as Midiwo’s sister died recently. She will be buried next Saturday, according to their brother, Dr Jalang’o Midiwo. Midiwo’s uncle Peter Odima was buried in Siaya County last Saturday.
Midiwo is the cousin of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The former lawmaker first joined public service in 2002 after winning the general elections to represent the Constituency of Gem at the National Assembly under the NARC ticket. He was then re-elected two times in 2007 and 2013 under ODM ticket. After a hiatus from politics, Midiwo made a political comeback after a crucial role in the Building Bridges Initiative. Midiwo was appointed by Raila to spearhead ODM’s signature drive in the Nyanza region.
The former Gem MP had been in the political cold after he lost his seat in the 2017 General Election which was preceded by a fallout with the ODM leader. The former ODM insider has faced financial trouble with the Kisumu County Government demanding Ksh876,000 as rent for a house owned by the devolved unit. In October 2020, the county government threatened to evict Midiwo alongside other politicians who are said to have rent arrears running into millions of shillings.