Former Kilifi South MP Mustapha Iddi is dead.
The former journalist who went on to become a prolific politician died on Wednesday morning at the Mombasa Premier Hospital in Nyali where he was getting treatment.
His death brings down the curtain on one of the most fiercely politician who transited from the media rooms to the corridors of politics.
He will be buried at his Bomani home in Kikamala later today in the afternoon.
His death was received with shock by many Kilifi residents who remember him for his aggressive politics after defecting to Jubilee from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) that had made him an MP in 2013.
He lost the seat to Ken Chonga of ODM in the 2017 General Election where he vied through a Jubilee ticket.
His close cousin who is also a politician, Omar Kuta confirmed that the politician had died and said that they were already preparing his burial in his Kikambala home.
“It is true, Mustapha is no more. He will be buried at his Bomani home in Kikambala in the afternoon. We are currently carrying out the plans,” said Mr Kuta.
Until his death, Mr Iddi was the chairman of the Coast Water Works Development Agency, where he was appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta after losing the MP seat.
Touted as one of Deputy President William Ruto’s allies in Kilifi county, Mr Iddi was among the politicians who even after getting elected on ODM ticket in 2013, ditched the party and decided to work with the Jubilee government. His decision however led to him losing the seat to Ken Chonga of ODM.
Message of condolences poured in for the former journalist who worked for both Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and the Nation Media Group (NMG) as a news anchor before joining politics.
