Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo has demanded a full investigation into what she described as an alarming rise in sudden deaths in Kenya.
The outspoken opposition lawmaker made the call on Sunday while mourning veteran KBC broadcaster Festus Amimo, who died suddenly at the weekend. Amimo, head of the station’s Dholuo service Mayienga FM and a household name in Luo Nyanza as Woud Awasi, was remembered for his morning show Gari Mokinyi and decades of pioneering vernacular radio.
In a social media post, Odhiambo echoed remarks made last month by Dr Akinyi Wenwa, sister of opposition leader Raila Odinga, who at a family funeral urged authorities to probe every unexpected death.
“The death of Festus Amimo is shocking,” Odhiambo wrote. “These sudden deaths must be investigated, as was suggested by Raila’s sister Dr Akinyi Wenwa. Could they be linked to Covid jabs?”
The suggestion immediately stirred controversy. Health officials and scientists have repeatedly stated that authorised Covid vaccines used in Kenya are safe and that no evidence links them to increased mortality.
Public anxiety over unexplained deaths has grown in some communities, fuelled by social media claims and occasional reports of young, apparently healthy people dying suddenly.
Tributes to Amimo poured in from across the political spectrum. Government delivery unit deputy head Eliud Owalo praised his dedication, while senior Luo leaders hailed him as a cultural icon who kept the Dholuo language alive on airwaves for generations.
Odhiambo, a long-serving ally of Raila Odinga, has often courted controversy with forthright statements. Her latest intervention comes weeks after Parliament debated rising non-communicable diseases and amid lingering vaccine hesitancy in parts of rural Kenya. No official cause has yet been given for Amimo’s death.
