Ken Okoth’s death: What we know so far

•          8AM Thursday, July 25: The Kibra MP was rushed to Nairobi Hospital in critical condition.

•          8PM Thursday July, 25: Okoth was transferred to the intensive care unit wing of the hospital.

•          Around 4PM Friday, July 26: Okoth breathed his last.

•          5PM Friday, July 26: The MP’s personal assistant addresses the media on the last moments of Ken Okoth. He says the MP was “unable to utter even a word”, when he was taken to hospital, or throughout his hospitalisation. The PA urged the lawmaker’s friends and family members “not to make any funeral arrangements”, saying the way forward will be communicated. The PA further disclosed that “there will be no public viewing of Ken Okoth’s body at Lee Funeral Home on Friday or Saturday".

•          Ken Okoth’s widow was present during the media address.

-Quick facts-

•          Kenneth Odhiambo Okoth was born and raised in Kibera’s Kisumu Dogo area in 1978, being the fourth born in a family of six.

•          He attended Olympic Primary School and Starehe Boys’ Centre. Ken was a scholarship student at St. Lawrence University in New York, where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Writing, German, and European Studies in 2001.

•          In 2005, Ken earned his Masters of Arts Degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington DC where he deepened his understanding of diplomacy and international relations.

•          Ken enjoys music and loves to travel and learn foreign languages in his free time. He has taken part in academic exchanges and study tours to Canada, China, India, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Puerto Rico, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Estonia and Russia.

•          In March 2013 Ken was elected to represent the people of Kibra Constituency in the National Assembly of Kenya where he serves as a member of the Committee on Education Science Research and Technology.

-Story-

A family spokesperson told the media on Friday that Okoth, who was battling Colorectal Cancer, died from multiple organ failure on Friday afternoon.

“He, specifically, said that he does not want to be on life support. So, one hour ago, they switched off the machine,” said the representative.

The legislator, 41, was on Thursday night rushed to Nairobi Hospital in critical condition.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer and colon cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine).

Sources told K24 Digital that the lawmaker, who was serving his second term, was admitted to the facility’s intensive care unit upon arrival.

Okoth’s hospitalisation came two weeks after he arrived in Kenya from France, where he was under medication.

The parliamentarian was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer five months ago.