Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria Wilfred Machage is dead
Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria Wilfred Machage.
What you need to know:
- Dr Machage was first elected as Member of Parliament for Kuria Constituency in 2002.
- In 2013, Dr Machage was elected as the first Senator of Migori County, a position he held until 2017.
Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria and former Migori Senator, Dr Wilfred Machage, is dead.
According to the High Commissioner's family, Dr Machage died on Saturday at a Nigerian hospital.
Mr Steve Machage, one of the High Commissioner's sons, said the former Senator breathed his last while undergoing treatment.
“Our dad died in Nigeria while undergoing treatment. We will give details on the cause of his death in subsequent briefings since we are yet to come to terms with his untimely demise,” the younger Machage told Nation on phone.
While officially announcing the death, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Ambassador Machage collapsed at home and was pronounced dead in hospital shortly thereafter at around 12.30pm on Saturday afternoon in Abuja, Nigeria.
According to the ministry, Dr Machage's wife was with him when the unfortunate incident happened.
Dedicated leader
Confirming the death, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Macharia Kamau, said the ministry, and the country had lost a dedicated and committed leader.
Following the death announcement, Kuria East Constituency MP, Marwa Kitayama, and his counterpart from Kuria West, Mathias Robi, were among the first to send messages of condolences to the bereaved family.
“We have lost a great leader who embodied Kuria unity and always kept the community on the limelight. His immense contribution to the community’s prosperity was unrivalled,,” Mr Kitayama told Nation.
Mr Robi said: “We have lost one of our greatest sons whose legacy and leadership acumen remain a pillar to our success. In him we had a very committed leader. We will forever remain indebted to him.”
Dr Machage was first elected as Member of Parliament for Kuria Constituency in 2002.
Migori's first Senator
He later served in several ministries in the late President Daniel Arap Moi’s government.
In 2007, Dr Machage was re-elected on a Democratic Party ticket, before the larger Kuria Constituency was split into Kuria East and Kuria West Sub-counties following the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution.
Dr Machage also served in various ministries during retired President Mwai Kibaki’s administration.
In 2013, Dr Machage was elected as the first Senator of Migori County, a position he held until 2017, when he was succeeded by the late Ben Oluoch.
In 2018, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him Kenya’s High commissioner to Nigeria, a position he held until his death.
