The country is in mourning following the untimely passing on of Nyamira County Governor John Nyagarama on Friday, December 18, 2020.
Leaders from across the country led by Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang'i have lauded the late governor as a visionary and brave leader.
"Devastated by the news of the death of my Governor John Nyangarama. He was a gentle and kind soul. A real mzee and elder in the community who defended the rights of his people. My condolences to his family and the people of Nyamira County," Matiang'i eulogised.
Leading up to his demise, Nyagarama had been admitted to the hospital for three weeks. Reports indicated that he was at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and allegedly succumbed to Covid-19 complications.
Kenyans.co.ke sought to reflect on the governor's accomplishments, leading up to his time at the helm of Nyamira County.
Nyagarama was born in Nyakemincha, West Mugirango, Nyamira County in the year 1946. He attended Nyakemincha Primary School where he sat for his Certificate for Primary Education (CPE).
He joined Maseno School, for his O-Levels then proceeded to Kisii High School for his A-Levels.
Nyagarama joined the University of Nairobi where he pursued a Bachelor's degree in Literature. He was first employed as a teacher at Nduru Boys Secondary School where he taught between 1975 and 1976.
In 1977, the late governor was transferred closer home, to Nyansiong Boys High School, Borabu Constituency, Nyamira County where he served for one year before moving to the neighboring Menyenya High School in 1978, where he taught for four years.
He later left his teaching career and focused on tea farming. He joined the Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) as a management trainee before going on to become a manager in various KTDA outlets across the country.
In 1991, Nyagarama joined Sotik Tea Company as the Managing Director up until his departure in 1992, when he left tea farming and joined Touchline Press Limited, a private publishing company as Chief Executive Officer.
The former teacher later established a tea export company in Mombasa in 1994 where he was later appointed to serve as a KTDA board member representing Marani tea farms along with several centres from Nyamira.
Nyagarama went on to hold various roles at the KTDA from 1994 to 2013, a period with which he earned respect and admiration from members of the sector and the public for his service.
In the 2013 by-election, Nyagarama vied for the Nyamira gubernatorial race on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket where he was elected governor. He was reelected on the party's ticket on August 8, 2017, for his second term.
