Business and Technology Reporter in Nairobi, Kenya
Nation Media Group
Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Wilfred Machage, has died in Abuja Saturday afternoon after a short illness, the Foreign Affairs ministry has confirmed.
The 65-year-old diplomat collapsed at his home and was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival in the presence of his wife, the ministry said in a statement.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau, who confirmed the news, said Kenya has lost a dedicated and committed leader.
As the envoy to Nigeria, Dr Machage was also accredited to Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Benin, Togo, Niger and six other countries in Central and West Africa.
Dr Machage was appointed to the position by President Uhuru Kenyatta in January 2018, prior to which he served as an elected Senator for Migori County.
He joined politics in 2002 when he won a parliamentary seat to represent the then Kuria Constituency. He retained his seat in 2007, before running for the Senate position, under the new Constitution that created counties in 2013.
In 2017, he lost his seat, after which he receded from politics before taking up the ambassadorial role the following year.
