Death has claimed the life of Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji at 80 years old
His family reported that the career administrator and former Cabinet Minister took his last breathe at the Aga Khan hospital in Nairobi on Monday morning of 15th February after a long illness, his family confirmed.
In 2020, he had been flown to Turkey for specialized treatment and came back in 2021 February 13th before his sudden death two days later.
He had several organ failure before earlier suffering hip injury.
Facts about Yusuf Haji
- Haji was born on December 23, 1940 in Garissa District in the North Eastern Province (Northern Frontier District) to an ethnic Somali family.
- He hails from the Abdalla subclan of the Ogaden and Borana from his mom side.
- Haji was married and had nine children (one deceased)
- For his post-secondary education, Haji earned a diploma from the University of Birmingham, where he majored in Management and Finance Control
- In 2020, he held the position of the chairman of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) taskforce.
- He is the father of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji.
- He served as a District Commissioner and Provincial Commissioner for long in the old Constitution.
- Between 2008-2013 , he served as Cabinet Minister of Defence under the Grand Coalition Government of Retired President Mwai Kibaki and former Prime minister Raila Odinga
- In 2012, Haji also briefly served as Minister of Internal Security and Provincial Affairs
- He has served in the Senate of Kenya representing Garissa County from 2013 until his death.