Nakuru tycoon Said Abdallah Azubedi dies after long illness
Some of the buildings along Kenyatta Avenue in Nakuru town that the late tycoon Said Abdallah Azubedi owned. PHOTO | FRANCIS MUREITHI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The trader with Yemeni roots arrived in Kenya in the late 1960s and set up shop in Bondeni slums.
- Mr Azubedi owned several plots in the posh Milimani estate but lived in a mud house in Bondeni, often mingling with his neighbours.
- The trader will be buried on Tuesday at the Bondeni Muslim Cemetery next to his business premises.
Prominent Nakuru town businessman Said Abdallah Azubedi died at a private hospital in Nairobi on Monday.
The trader with Yemeni roots arrived in Kenya in the late 1960s and set up shop in Bondeni slums.
He was a pioneer wholesaler and distributor in the area, serving small scale traders in estates including Kaloleni, Kivumbini, Langalanga, Shauri Yako and Paul Machanga.
“Mzee Azubedi died after a long illness. May his soul rest in peace,” said Mr Osman Abdallah, who grew up in Bondeni in the late 1970s.
HUMBLE
Mr Azubedi owned several plots in the posh Milimani estate but lived in a mud house in Bondeni, often mingling with his neighbours.
The businessman also had a chain of prime plots in Nakuru’s central business district, along Kenyatta Avenue and the main bus terminus.
He also owned residential and commercial premises in downtown Langalanga estate along Kanu.
But he lived a life so simple that he hardly stood out in crowds, often wearing regular outfits and open shoes.
BURIAL
Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui eulogised Mr Azubedi as a “humble and honest man who took great pride in his sweat”.
The trader will be buried on Tuesday at the Bondeni Muslim Cemetery next to his business premises.
“Funeral prayers will be held at the Bondeni mosque during the normal 4pm prayers,” said Muslim leader Fadhii Msuri.
The tycoon is survived by his wife, several children and grandchildren.
