Raila, Kalonzo send condolences to Kirima family

By Mutinda mwanzia
Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka have sent condolence messages to the family of the late prominent businessman and former assistant minister Gerishon Kirima.
Kirima, 88, died while undergoing treatment at a South African hospital on Tuesday.
Said Raila: "Mr Kirima was an astute politician and businessman. For long, he was the face of Nairobi politics. He manoeuvred both politics and business at a time when the going was tough and the rules unclear on both the business and political fronts."
Raila said he remembered Kirima as a man who loved people. "He loved his family. He loved Starehe and our country. Today, our city bears a lot of his marks, a testimony to the work he did for Starehe Constituents."
"I wish the family peace and solidarity at this moment of grief and blessings in the New Year. I also wish to assure the family that I share their grief and I stand in solidarity with them," he said.
Kalonzo, who is on official visit in Egypt, said he was deeply saddened by the death of Kirima.
Businessman
He said Kirima would be remembered as an astute pioneer businessman in real estate business at a time when few Africans were keen on the sector, thus contributing immensely to its growth and the general economic development of the country.
"He was also a gifted leader whose down-to-earth demeanour saw him succeed in the country’s politics, to rise from a councillor to a deputy mayor of Nairobi city, MP and an assistant minister," said Kalonzo.
He described the late Kirima as a God-fearing leader, who supported and participated in church activities particularly in the Ziwani African Inland Church, Nairobi, where he served for long as a church elder.
"Those of us who worked with him closely during the erstwhile Kanu days will miss his infectious political wisdom and sense of patriotism where he always stood firmly for the unity, prosperity and stability of his motherland," he added.
Naivasha MP John Mututho also condoled the family of Kirima, whom he described as an industrious and humble leader.