President William Ruto has expressed his condolences following the death of Bishop Allan Kiuna, founder of Jubilee Christian Church (JCC).

Bishop Kiuna passed away yesterday at AAR Hospital in Nairobi, where he had been admitted.

He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer in 2018/2019.

“I join the Christian community in mourning his death. Bishop Kiuna was a dedicated Christian leader who founded the Jubilee Christian Church (JCC) and inspired many to follow the teachings of the Lord,” President Ruto stated.

“To his wife, Rev. Kathy Kiuna, and family, we stand with you in this time of grief and mourning, and pray that you find the courage to persevere through this trying period. May he rest in peace.”

Other political leaders have also mourned the Bishop

“Rest in peace, man of God. Thank you for having ministered to me on the three different occasions that I have visited your church. To Rev. Kathy Kiuna and your children, my deepest condolences. It is well,” Nairobi Senator Karen Nyamu wrote.

Ezekiel Mutua, CEO of MCSK, also paid tribute to the late Bishop, stating: “Bishop Allan Kiuna preached with zeal, power, and conviction and did not hold back even in the face of criticism. His powerful sermons and transformative leadership made JCC a global brand. He has touched so many people with the power of his faith. He served his purpose in his generation and has rested from the scourge of cancer. My sincere condolences to Rev. Kathy and the entire family, the JCC fraternity, and the church at large. May Bishop’s soul rest in peace.”

Bishop Kiuna had announced in 2023 that he had successfully battled cancer.

After spending a year in the United States for treatment, he shared the good news during a thanksgiving ceremony at his Nairobi church. He recounted his journey, revealing that he embarked on his US journey in December 2022 while already battling illness.

Despite facing a challenging medical journey, he declared himself cancer-free, standing before his congregation with gratitude. Bishop Kiuna disclosed that the cost of his treatment exceeded $3 million, totaling over Sh459,900,000.

The family of Bishop Allan Kiuna has requested privacy as they mourn his passing.

Meanwhile, Jubilee Christian Church (JCC) has announced a series of memorial services to honor their departed founder and overseer.

A third-year Quantity Survey student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, who went missing at the onset of anti-Finance Bill protests in Nairobi, died by drowning, a post-mortem report revealed Tuesday.

An autopsy conducted at Thika-based General Kago funeral home shows the 23-year-old had bruises at the back of his head and on his legs.

While the pathologists did not address journalists over the matter, Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton said Danzel Omondi’s body was discovered on July 6, floating in deserted Mashinani quarries in Juja, a move that raised suspicion over his cause of death.

“We demand a credible independent investigation to reveal and prosecute who abducted, killed and dumped #OccupyCBD protester Denzel Omondi in a quarry to hide their crime,” said Irungu.

On June 25, Omondi was protesting at the National Assembly and would be later seen at the university the following day only to disappear on June 27.

“I am inside, where is this? Occupy parliament,” Omondi, the firstborn in his family is heard saying in a video of him within the vicinity of August House which has since flickered on social media.

James Otieno, the deceased’s father said he spoke to his son last on June 27 in the morning but his phone went off later in the day, an incident he thought was ordinary.

He would later receive distressing calls informing him about the disappearance of his son, information that elicited apprehension in his family.

“The last time I spoke to him he had no signs of fear but when he went missing, that brought worry to us as family. I spoke to him on June 27 but his phone went off in the evening and we thought he would call back. I came to learn of his disappearance later through a call from a person from home,” said Otieno.

“I am saddened by the death of my son Omondi. He was a promising man whom we hoped would finish his studies and become a productive nation builder. We leave everything to God but we shall pursue justice,” he told journalists.

Police say they are investigating the incident.

A team from Juja said they were called and informed the student’s body was lying at the quarry.

It is believed the victim was killed elsewhere and the body dumped at the scene it was discovered.

Human rights organisations say dozens of people who participated in the protests are either missing or in hiding after learning they are being hunted by state agencies.

Lisa Pisano, the first person to receive a mechanical heart pump as well as a gene-edited pig kidney, died Sunday, according to NYU Langone Health, where she had the surgery.

Pisano received the transplant on April 12, but the organ failed due to limited blood flow and was removed May 29.

Her case was the first reported organ transplant in a person with a mechanical heart pump, NYU Langone said, the second known transplant of a gene-edited pig kidney into a living recipient and the first transplanted along with the animal’s thymus gland.

Pisano was brave and altruistic, Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, said in a statement Tuesday.

She had said during a news conference after the procedure that even if the organ transplant didn’t work for her, it might for the next person.

“At least somebody is going to benefit from it,” she said.

Montgomery said Tuesday that “Lisa’s contributions to medicine, surgery, and xenotransplantation cannot be overstated. … Lisa helped bring us closer to realizing a future where someone does not have to die for another person to live.”

Every eight minutes, another person is added to the transplant waiting list, and 17 people from this list die each day waiting for an organ, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Xenotransplantation, which involves using organs from other species, is a potential solution to the shortage of available donor organs, experts say.

Doctors in the US perform xenotransplants in rare cases, with permission from the US Food and Drug Administration. For Pisano, the permission came through the agency’s expanded-access or “compassionate use” policy, which allows terminally ill patients who have no other treatment options to access experimental medical products.

Due to Pisano’s heart failure and end-stage kidney disease that required routine dialysis, she couldn’t have a standard transplant, NYU Langone said in a news release.

Before the xenotransplant, Pisano said, she had “tried everything else” and, with the surgery, was hoping to spend time with her grandkids and play with them.

The pig kidney she received was genetically altered to evade human antibodies, which typically detect and attack foreign organs. The pig’s thymus gland, which plays a role in immunity, was placed beneath the pig kidney’s cover to further help Pisano’s body accept the organ.

However, the kidney was removed in May after it was determined that it was “no longer contributing enough to justify continuing the immunosuppression regimen,” Montgomery said at the time.

Pisano’s “bravery gave hope to thousands of people living with end-stage kidney or heart failure who could soon benefit from an alternative supply of organs,” he said in Tuesday’s statement.

“Her legacy as a pioneer will live on and she will forever be remembered for her courage and good nature.”