It took about 17 minutes for the curtains to fall on the life of Kariobangi North MCA Joel Munuve, who took his last breath on the morning of April 22, 2025.

As the family and electorate are still coming to terms with Munuve's demise, John Ochieng, one of the aides who spent the last moments with the fallen MCA, has opened up.

"I am still shocked! It has taken some time for me to believe that he will never be with us anymore. It is a big blow not only for me but for those of us who knew him," shared Ochieng, who also grew up in the same neighbourhood with Munuve.

On the fateful day, Ochieng recalls, Munuve woke up in high spirits, but, for the first time, he collapsed in the house, throwing everyone into shock.

"It was unexpected because, since I knew him, he had never been admitted in any hospital. He, however, was convinced to pass by the hospital and then proceed to other errands," he said.

"That was around 10:18 in the morning. I called back my colleagues in the office and informed them that the MCA had been taken ill and we were rushing to the hospital," Ochieng added.

Not long

According to the aide, the distance from Munuve's house to AAR hospital, where he was rushed to is not long.

"Everything seemed well with him, but he kept mentioning God's name on the way," Ochieng said, adding:

"When we arrived at the hospital, he was overwhelmed again. The medics saw him, and after carrying out some checkups, they confirmed that he had passed on around 10:35am. Later on, we realised that perhaps the words he was uttering on the way were his last."

That day, part of the MCA's plan was to meet a family whose kin's body is detained at a Nairobi hospital over a bill.

The aide recalls that even though Munuve used to keep fit by frequently going for long walks, at one point he just complained that he was unwell. This, he said, was rare.

On April 25, pathologists established that Munuve died due to two blood clots; one clot was found in his lungs (pulmonary embolism) and another in his left leg's popliteal vein, both of which led to oxygen deprivation.

Police officers

On Monday, some residents of Korogocho, which borders Kariobangi North, clashed in what was linked to Munuve's demise.

According to police reports, some locals from Korogocho were planning to hold a demonstration to challenge the MCA's postmortem results, but they were repulsed.

In the process, a group believed to be goons from the slums threw stones at Mama Margaret Kenyatta Hospital and injured one of the police officers who was among those dispatched to quell the battles.