NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 13 – Former Kwale Woman representative Zainab Chindzuga has been buried at her home in Matuga’s Ziwanni Golani area in Kwale County a day after she passed on.
Chidzuga who died in Thursday was buried in line with Muslim traditions in a ceremony that was attended by close family members and friends.
Her family said the 65-year-old politician had been ailing for some time and died after hospitalization for two weeks at Reliance Hospital in South C Nairobi.
She is believed to have died from coronavirus-related complications.
“She has been ailing for quite some time now. Immediately after Chitembe’s burial, she became sick. She has been in Nairobi for about two weeks,” said a family member.
She was last seen in public during the burial of former ODM grassroots activist Hassan Chitembe in Tiribe in Matuga in Kwale on July 17.
Chidzuga, a former long serving official of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization (MYWO), was elected Kwale women representative on an ODM ticket in 2013.
Towards the 2017 general election, she defected to the Jubilee Party and lost the election to ODM’s Zulekha Hassan.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto sent messages of condolence to the family of the former Kwale leader.
In his condolences message, President Kenyatta described Chidzuga as “an ardent supporter of the Jubilee administration.”
“The ugly hand of death has robbed our country of a highly influential grassroots mobiliser and leader who was a role model to many women,” said President Kenyatta.
The President said Chidzuga was a steadfast leader and astute grassroots mobilizer who helped uplift the welfare of women in Kwale County and across the country through her many initiatives.
In his message, DP Ruto described Chidzuga as a “selfless and visionary leader who served the people of Kwale with dedication.”
“Mheshimiwa Zainab Chidzuga was progressive, steadfast and focussed. We will remember her as a champion of women empowerment,” said Ruto.
