A governor in Kenya has died while receiving Covid-19 treatment at a hospital in the capital, Nairobi.
John Nyagarama, the 74-year-old governor of Nyamira county, had been hospitalised for weeks and placed on life support on Sunday night.
He died Friday, December 18, 2020 from COVID-19 complications.
County Secretary James Ntabo said, we have lost our governor but we will release more details after the family has settled.
The family is preparing to move the body to Lee Funeral Home, information on the cause of his death will be conveyed by the family spokesperson, said Ntabo
Nyagarama was elected governor in 2013 after unsuccessfully trying the West Mugirango Parliamentary seat for two elections.
Before his election as governor, Nyagarama was a director of the Kenya Tea Development Agency where he served for nearly three decades.
The Nyangarama party leader, Raila Odinga, has tweeted his condolences:
His deputy, Amos Nyaribo, will take over as governor for the remaining period of the term until the 2022 elections in accordance with Kenya’s constitution.