Kenya’s Ambassador to Qatar Paddy Ahenda dies

Kenya’s Ambassador to Qatar Paddy Ahenda has died aged 69. [File, Standard]

Kenya’s Ambassador to Qatar Paddy Ahenda is dead.

Ahenda died on Sunday, April 3 aged 69, his brother Gabriel Ahenda has told The Standard.

The envoy had been receiving treatment at a Doha hospital, and was in the intensive care unit for one week.

His family said he was taken to hospital after suffering a stroke.

Ahenda was appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta as the Ambassador to Qatar in August 2018.

In February 2019, rumours suggested that Qatar had rejected Ahenda as head of Kenya’s mission in the country, but the Middle East nation would later come out to refute the allegations.

Qatar said in February 2019 that Ahenda’s appointment was approved by the country on October 10, 2018, two months after President Kenyatta named him as Kenya’s envoy to the Middle East nation.

Paddy Ahenda served as Kasipul-Kabondo Member of Parliament between 2006 and 2007.

Ahenda won the March 1, 2006 parliamentary by-election on Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ticket after the death of the then-MP Peter Owidi, who had won the seat on a NARC Party ticket in the December 27, 2002 General Election.

Ahenda got 18,202 of the 20,671 votes cast, becoming the party's first and only MP in the National Assembly.

His closest challenger, Gerald Otieno K'Opiyo, the former Kasipul-Kabondo MP, got 1,912 votes. K’Opiyo, who had been area MP between 1992 and 1997, ran on a NARC ticket in the March 1, 2006 by-election.

The mini-poll was marred by a low turn-out due to heavy rains and sporadic violence.

Out of the 63,523 registered voters at the time, only 20,671 (32.45 per cent) casted their ballot.

In the run-up to the December 2007 General Election, Ahenda attempted to win ODM’s ticket through Party primaries in November, but lost to Joseph Oyugi Magwanga, who went on to win the election.

Since Magwanga’s tenure, Kasipul-Kabondo has had two more MPs; Silvance Osele of ODM (2013-2017), and the incumbent Eve Obara, also of ODM. Obara is the former Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) Managing Director.

Ever since his ouster in 2007, Paddy Ahenda made unsuccessful attempts at reclaiming the Kasipul-Kabondo parliamentary seat, including in the August 8, 2017 polls.

In the last two years, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs ministry has lost three ambassadors.

On February 16, 2020, Kenya’s Ambassador to South Sudan Chris Mburu died of heart attack in Juba.

On February 19, 2022, Kenya’s Ambassador to Nigeria Dr Wilfred Machage died in Abuja aged 65 after a short illness.

Paddy Ahenda’s death now becomes the third to hit the consulate in a period of two years.