Africa-Press – Kenya. Former Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo has passed away.
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Director of Communications Philip Etale on Monday, June 14, confirmed the tragic news without revealing the cause of his sudden death.
“Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo has rested. Please pray for the family during this difficult moment,” announced Etale.
The former lawmaker, who was born in 1966, passed away at the age of 54 years.
Midiwo is the cousin of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The former lawmaker first joined public service in 2002 after winning the general elections to represent the Constituency of Gem at the National Assembly under the NARC ticket.
He was then re-elected two times in 2007 and 2013 under ODM ticket. After a hiatus from politics, Midiwo made a political comeback after a crucial role in the Building Bridges Initiative.
Midiwo was appointed by Raila to spearhead ODM’s signature drive in the Nyanza region.
The former Gem MP had been in the political cold after he lost his seat in the 2017 General Election which was preceded by a fallout with the ODM leader.
In early 2020, Midiwo had a run-in with law enforcers where he was assaulted by four police officers at his Milimani home.
The officer reportedly got into a scuffle with the former legislator after a disagreement, following which they allegedly battered him alongside his driver.
Initial reports claimed that the officers were after Midiwo’s driver over an alleged traffic offense. They then followed him all the way to the former Gem MP’s house leading up to the confrontation.
The former ODM insider has faced financial trouble with the Kisumu County Government demanding Ksh876,000 as rent for a house owned by the devolved unit.
In October 2020, the county government threatened to evict Midiwo alongside other politicians who are said to have rent arrears running into millions of shillings.
