Kenyans on Monday woke up to the news that the country’s ambassador to Qatar Paddy C. Ahenda was dead after suffering a stroke.
According to reports, Paddy died on Sunday while in Doha, Qatar. His wife, Millie Ahenda said that he had been admitted in ICU for a week.
Here are some of the little known facts about the ambassador.
Paddy served as the MP for Kasipul Kabondo between 2006-2007 after being elected on a Liberal Democratic Party ticket. Kasipul Kabondo is in Homa Bay County. Paddy was the first and only MP to be elected on the party’s ticket.
He took over the leadership of the constituency after the death of his predecessor Peter Owidi. He was however replaced by Joseph Oyugi Magwagwa of ODM after the 2007 general elections. Since then, his attempts to reclaim the leadership of Kasipul Kabondo were not successful.
President Kenyatta appointed the deceased for his first ambassadorial job in October 2018. His appointment was filled with controversies after reports emerged that Qatar had rejected his appointment. The Middle East Country however refuted the claims.
A lot of questions had been raised during his vetting in August 2018 after being appointed by the president with legislators claiming that he had no relevant qualifications to be given the position.
The former Member of Parliament is a husband and a father, even though the exact number of his children is yet to be known. His elder brother is known as Gabriel Ahenda.
Paddy passed on at the age of 69 years old.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is among leaders who have mourned Paddy. The head of state said that the ambassador was committed to deepening Kenya’s relationship with Qatar and the Arabian world.
“We have lost one of Kenya’s most devoted diplomats who was keen on strengthening our relations with not only Qatar but the entire Arab world for the benefit of our people. I note with appreciation the work of Amb Ahenda. During his tenure as our envoy in Doha, he facilitated the significant rise in the number of Kenyans working in different fields in Qatar from 25,000 to over 30,000.
“Amb Ahenda similarly ensured increased trade flows between the two nations with Kenya’s exports to Qatar growing to over Shs 9 billion annually. In addition, Amb Ahenda helped attract a growing number of Qatari investors into Kenya who invested in real estate, manufacturing and other sectors of our economy,” stated Uhuru.
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