Deputy President William Ruto's Chief of Staff, Ambassador Ken Osinde, is dead.
Reports indicate that he died on Friday, December 10, at a city hospital.
Although details remain scanty, media reports intimated that he passed away after a short illness.
The family is, however, yet to issue a statement on his demise.
DP Ruto mourned Osinde who he termed as a hardworking and diligent friend. Ruto also pointed out that Osinde was a major factor in the operations of his office and had an exemplary team spirit.
"My Office has lost one of its key officers. Ambassador Ken Nyauncho Osinde was a good leader with robust management and problem-solving skills. As our Chief of Staff, he was a hardworking, diligent, broad thinker and a master of human resources," the DP stated.
"We will miss his wise counsel and team spirit. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the family, colleagues and friends. Rest In Peace my friend, Ken," he added.
His last public appearance was during the Devolution Conference held in Makueni County on Friday, November 26 where he was sent by the DP to represent him but the governors denied him an opportunity to address the gathering at the devolution conference.
Osinde was sent out of the meeting by the governors who viewed him as of little significance to the conference.
The Council of Governors chaired by Martin Wambora, settled on Defence Cabinet Secretary, Eugene Wamalwa, to close the conference.
Working as DP Ruto's Chief of Staff, Osinde was tasked with the responsibility to make sure all is running like a well-oiled machine.
He provided a buffer between the DP and the team that reports to him. Osinde worked behind the scenes to solve problems, mediate disputes, and deal with issues before they are brought to Ruto’s attention.
Political experts described the office holder as a confidant and advisor to the deputy president, acting as a sounding board for ideas.
Prior to his appointment, Osinde served as Kenya's Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany and was simultaneously accredited to the Republics of Bulgaria and Romania.
Ambassador Osinde has served in the financial services sector as the CEO and director of the College of Insurance.
At the National Bank of Kenya, he worked in various departments including working as a personal assistant to the executive chairman.
Previously, Ambassador Osinde was a Lecturer at the University of Nairobi in Linguistics and African Languages where he pioneered research and published on Sheng and youth languages.
Osinde held a Masters degree in Arts from the University of Nairobi and Masters of Business Administration from the Eastern and Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI).
