BY Taiwo George
Fidel, the eldest son of Raila Odinga, the leader of Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), Kenya’s main opposition party, has died.
His lifeless body was found in his house on Sunday morning.
The police said it is not yet clear if his death can be attributed to murder.
“The death is being treated as unexplained,” a Kenyan detective, who does not want to be named, said.
“We are investigating his final movements. A forensic pathologist has been called in and a post-mortem will be conducted to establish the cause of death.”
As soon as the news of his death broke out, messages of condolences poured in through social media sites. Facebook pages created a few hours after his death and gathered huge following.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, his vice, have respectively sent their condolence messages to the father of the deceased.
Similarly, Aden Duale, the majority leader of Kenya’s national assembly, has also sympathized with the family.
“My sincere condolences to the family, relatives and friends of Rt Hon Raila Odinga and mama Ida Odinga following the death of their son RIP,” he said.
Charity Ngilu, the lands cabinet secretary also wrote: “As a parent I cannot imagine the pain. May God give the Odingas strength through this pain and loss. Rest in peace Fidel.”
The Standard, a newspaper in the country, said Fidel’s death sparked a violent protest around Nairobi’s Kibra slum.
The paper said the protesters pelted motorists with stones and blocked the roads before being dispersed by police.
Married to Getachew Bekele, an Eritrean, Fidel is survived by a child, three siblings and parents.
Born in 1973, the late Fidel was reportedly planning to go into active politics in 2017.
His father, a former prime minister, is an outspoken critic of Kenyatta’s government.
Last month he spearheaded a challenge of controversial anti-terror laws, accusing Kenyatta of turning into a dictator.
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