Sources close to the family said that Shitanda passed away at the Nairobi Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
“Yes, he passed away at about 1.30pm this afternoon,” Lugari MP Ayub Savula who was close to Shitanda said.
He said he had been informed Shitanda was scheduled to leave hospital on Friday after his health improved but it deteriorated again.
“I would like to convey my sincere condolences to the family,” Savula said.
It is understood that Shitanda, who once served as Member of Parliament for Malave Constituency, has been in hospital for about three weeks now.
“He was initially admitted to the Intensive Care Unit but had been taken to a general ward when he got better,” Savula disclosed.
Shitanda developed breathing complications on Tuesday morning and was taken back to the ICU where he passed on.
According to Savula, Shitanda was unable to attend his brother’s burial a week ago and he had to represent him.
Shitanda 57, was the chairman of the Agricultural Development Corporation.
He represented Malava constituency since 1997 after he ousted the then minister of Health Joshua Angatia in the general election on a Ford Kenya ticket.
He was re-elected to parliament in 2002 on the NARC ticket and served as an assistant minister in the office of the President, before he was appointed minister for housing in a cabinet reshuffle in 2005.
Shitanda was reelected to parliament in 2007 and reappointed as housing minister.
Shitanda after decamping to UDF was among some of the politicians who failed to be nominated for lack of degrees in 2013.
