Kenya’s envoy to Qatar, Paddy Ahenda, dies at 70

Ambassador Paddy Ahenda

Ambassador Paddy Ahenda in an earlier photo. He died Monday April 4 morning in Doha, Qatar.

Photo credit: File

Kenya's ambassador to Qatar, Patrick 'Paddy' Ahenda , is dead.

His brother Gabriel Ahenda Ochanji confirmed the death, saying the former Kabondo Kasipul MP died in the Middle East country on Monday morning.

He was reported to have succumbed to a heat stroke.

"He passed on at 3am in Qatar at the age of 70. We are yet to know the cause of death," he told the Nation by phone.

Mr Ochanji added that the family would issue a statement about the cause of death.

"We are waiting for a statement from the government. What I can confirm is that my brother was well," Mr Ochanji said.

Mr Ahenda was with his wife when he died. His other family members live in the United States.

Mr Ahenda was from Kasewe in Kabondo West ward, Homa Bay County.

He was MP in the then Kasipul Kabondo constituency between 2006 and 2007, before it was split to Kabondo Kasipul and Kasipul.

He was elected to Parliament on the Liberal Democratic Party ticket.

He joined active politics in 1997 and vied for the Kasipul Kabondo seat and lost to Oloo Tula.

He tried his luck again in 2002 but lost to Peter Owidi.

When Owidi died in 2005, Mr Ahenda got an opportunity to vie in the by-election, which he won.

But he lost the seat in 2007, defeated by Oyugi Magwanga.

In 2017, he campaigned for ODM leader Raila Odinga, serving on the presidential campaign team in Nyanza.

Mr Ahenda was later appointed ambassador to Qatar.

Some of the people he represented as MP hailed Mr Ahenda as a man who promoted development.

Mr Samuel Owida said Mr Ahenda, nicknamed Medi (addition), ensured his constituents got the development they deserved.

"He would spend his resources just to ensure his constituents had something. He was jovial and had good networking," he said.

Mr Ahenda was also remembered for his efforts to empower young people through sports tournaments.

"His dress code was also unique. People would compare him to a member of a royal family because of the types of clothes he wore. They were rare," Mr Owida said.