Africa-Press – Kenya. John Thoya Maitha, son of former Cabinet Minister Karisa Maitha, is dead.
Thoya, an engineer by profession, was mourned by senior leaders from his Coast backyard, such as Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya and Senate Speaker Amason Kingi.
At the time of his death, Thoya was a lecturer at the Technical University of Mombasa, where he also served as the Deputy Director at the Renewable Energy and Climate Change Research Centre.
Even as the cause of his death is yet to be established, Mvurya credited Thoya as a distinguished academic and senior lecturer whose scholarly contributions greatly enriched the engineering field and the Blue Economy sector in higher education.
“I convey my deepest condolences to the family of the late Hon. Karisa Maitha and Mama Rachel Maitha on the passing of their beloved son, Engineer John Thoya Maitha, brother to Juney Karisa, Head of Public Communication at the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports,” Mvurya noted.
Aside from his scholarly contributions, Mvurya and Kingi highlighted Thoya’s work in community service, championing youth empowerment and grassroots development, with Kingi even drawing parallels to his father, Maitha.
“His mentorship and selfless service inspired many young people in his community to pursue excellence and contribute meaningfully to society,” Mvurya stated.
His father, Maitha, was famous in his time as a Minister during former President the late Mwai Kibaki’s government, gaining love and hate in equal measure.
A powerful Coast politician, Maitha rose from a clinical officer to holding two Ministries in Kibaki’s administration.
He joined politics in 1979 when he was elected as a councillor for Mwakirunge ward, a position he held until he became Kisauni MP in 1992.
Following his re-election in 1997, Maitha decamped from KANU to Kibaki’s Democratic Party (DP), where he was a founding member, becoming Minister for Local Government upon Kibaki’s ascent to power in 2002.
In his time as minister for Local Government, Maitha infamously gained the nickname “Hurricane” for his rapid decision-making that often left many senior officials dismissed from office.
Maitha was later transferred to the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, where he met his untimely demise during his tour of duty.
He died on Wednesday, August 25, 2004, after suffering a massive heart attack while on an official trip to Germany. At the time, Maitha was 50 years old.
Maitha was taken ill while in the middle of a telephone interview with a German radio station and immediately rushed to a hospital in Frankfurt. However, upon arrival, efforts to resuscitate him proved futile, with doctors confirming his death.
He had gone to Germany leading a high-powered delegation on a week-long series of events aimed at marketing Kenya as the ideal holiday destination.
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