Former Cabinet minister dies in Nairobi

Former Lurambi MP Dr Newton Kulundu died at Nairobi Hospital on Sunday morning.

The former Labour minister succumbed to what was described as a short illness at about 4am, according to his younger brother, Prof Kulundu Bitonye.

The former MP’s son, Mr Edgar Kulundu, said his father died of colon cancer, but his uncle declined to state the cause of death, saying that the doctors were yet to issue a death certificate containing their views on the cause of death.

Prof Kulundu said his brother had fallen sick at his rural home in Bunyala in Western Kenya and had been admitted to the Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu for four days before being transferred to Nairobi.

He had been admitted to the Nairobi Hospital for four weeks until yesterday and Prof Kulundu said he had been ill for the last two months. “We will soon be making arrangements to rest him at Bunyala,” he said.

Friends and relatives started arriving at the hospital yesterday morning and the brother said those at their rural home had also been informed.

Meanwhile, President Kibaki and Cotu boss Francis Atwoli sent their condolences to the family, relatives and friends of Dr Kulundu.

President Kibaki described the former minister as a patriotic, development-conscious leader who served the country with dedication in various capacities.

The President noted that as a politician and a Cabinet minister, Dr Kulundu distinguished himself as a man of courage. “We are proud of his contribution to our country and thank God for the time we shared with him,” President Kibaki said.

Mr Atwoli said workers remember Dr Kulundu “for the instrumental role he played to ensure the passing of the new labour laws.”

Perhaps one of Dr Kulundu’s most memorable moments is a day he decided to take Western governments head-on on human rights violations.
He accused the US and the UK of being the greatest violators of human rights.

“These two governments have perfected the art of doublespeak by asking Kenya and other countries to uphold these tenets… to me, they are preaching water but drinking wine,” Dr Kulundu had said.

On Sunday, his brother said Dr Kulundu had decided to avoid politics after the 2007 election and had been running his business and farming before he fell ill.

Dr Kulundu was born in 1948. He was first elected to Parliament on a Ford Kenya ticket in 1997 and re-elected in 2002.