The Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Ababu Namwamba, has confirmed the death of Corporal Jonah Kemboi Rotich, who was his bodyguard for eighteen years.
In a statement on his official X account on Sunday, May 25, the former sports Cabinet Secretary confirmed that Rotich succumbed to multiple health challenges.
Namwamba, who labelled Rotich as a true friend and a close aide, further confirmed that Rotich will be buried on Tuesday, June 3.
"Rotich has rested after a battle with multiple health challenges, a battle he has borne with admirable courage and stoicism. We are devastated by this painful loss and commit his soul to the Good Lord as we pray that his family finds comfort in the bosom of Christ. We will lay him to rest at his Eldoret home on 3rd June, 2025," Ababu said.
Reflecting on their personal and professional accomplishments, Namwamba noted that Rotich had strong ties with his family despite them coming from two different tribal backgrounds.
"We have worked. We have travelled the world. We have dreamt. We have raised our children. We have built one large family. And worshipped our one true God – I as a committed Catholic, he as a dedicated Seventh Day Adventist," Namwamba said.
"Indeed, Rotich has felt as much at home among the Mulembe Nation of Ingo/Western as I have felt among his Kitwek backyard of Cherangany and Eldoret. A living testimony of how to forge a unified nation beyond myopic profiling and puerile ethnic jingoism," he added.
The announcement comes almost two months after George Oduor, who was a long-term aide to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, died on Wednesday, April 2, after being hospitalised for two weeks.
For decades, Oduor had been a close associate of Raila, often seen as his bodyguard, and was a familiar figure at Raila’s events and engagements.
In a heartfelt statement on Wednesday, April 3, Odinga mourned Odour, stating that he was a trusted confidant and a pillar of support for his family for decades.
Raila praised Oduor for his hard work, loyalty, and strong character, which he says made him a reliable support through both difficult and successful times.
"He has been a vigilant, calm, confident, and extremely professional aide dedicated to duty and a dependable rock on my side all these years through tumultuous periods," Raila said.
