THE STANDARD By
Abdimalik Hajir |
February 20th 2021 at 00:00:00 GMT +0300
The family of Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji
(pictured) who passed away on Monday has said it will contribute the equivalent of his six-month’s salary to vulnerable children in the county.
In an emotional prayer meeting held in Garissa yesterday, a grieving Director of public Prosecution (DPP) Noordin Haji and his brother Abdul Haji recalled their last moments with their father whom they said had wanted to quit his senatorial position.
The children said that before the ailing senator slipped into unconsciousness, he regretted that he was earning a salary that he was not working for. “He wanted us to call the Senate Speaker to resign because he said it was
The Standard
Yusuf Haji and his supporters in October 2002. [File standard]
Many will remember Mohamed Yusuf Haji as the man who chaired the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) team, appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader, Raila Odinga. He will also be remembered as the two-term Senator for Garissa County. Yet he was much more than that, both in his public roles and in quiet behind-the-scenes tasks in Northeastern Kenya, all the way to the neighbouring countries in the north.
His suitability for the roles saw him straddle the four Kenyan regimes of Presidents Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta. And he was always on the right side of power. This presence was, ironically, in part a factor of the Somali exclusion from the centre. But it was also a factor of his own ability to gel well with the centre and to remain relevant.
He was buried on the same day at Lang ata Cemetery. Before he was laid to rest, Nairobi Regional police commander Rashid Yakub himself who led the digging of the grave held the mattock to prepare a resting place for the late politician. A video shows him digging the hard ground while in his blue uniform. “Yusuf Haji who was appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta to chair the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) task force was flown to Turkey for treatment in late 2020 but later returned to the country. “The long-time administrator served in the vast Rift Valley between 1970 and 1998. He was later nominated to Parliament in 2002.
Hadal-hayn ka dhalatay aaskii senetar Yuusuf Xaaji bbc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bbc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
THE STANDARD By
Sara Okuoro |
February 15th 2021 at 16:45:00 GMT +0300
The late Garissa Senator Mohamed Yusuf Haji. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]
Former Cabinet Minister and Garissa Senator Mohamed Yusuf Haji has been laid to rest at Lang ata Muslim Cemetery in Nairobi.
The 80-year-old Haji died at the Aga Khan University Hospital early Monday morning after a long illness.
He was buried after 4pm prayers at the South C Mosque in Nairobi.
Friends and family of the late Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji gather at his home in Riverside 104, Nairobi.
In his condolences, President Uhuru eulogised the veteran politician, who until his death was the chairperson of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Taskforce, as a dependable Kenyan leader and patriot.