Former Kamukunji parliamentary aspirant Ibrahim Ahmed alias Johnny. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]
Nairobi politician Ibrahim Ahmed alias Johnny was buried yesterday at Langáta Muslim Cemetery.
Ahmed died yesterday morning at the Coptic Hospital where he was being treated.
His body was taken to Lang’ata cemetery for burial even before his friends could come to terms with his death.
Covid-19 regulations on public gatherings denied his friends a chance to pay their last respects to him.
A long beard and rippling laughter were Johnny’s trademarks. He was a common figure within Nairobi’s Central Business District. His friends yesterday disclosed that Johnny had been battling kidney problems for a long time. His friends took to social media to mourn a man who vied for Kamukunji parliamentary seat on an Orange party ticket in the 2013 General Election.
Although he was not originally from North Eastern Kenya, Johnny literally brought a camel to the city.
He tagged along a camel to all his political rallies, another irony for a man who was considered liberal, popular, but not an insider who could be entrusted with the Kamukunji Constituency leadership.
His burial was a brief ceremony that attracted scores of mourners, including the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji and former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar, who turned up to pay their last respects to a man described as generous, amiable, sociable and kind.
Jamia Mosque, where Johnny worshipped, said they had lost a great leader.
“It is with deep regret and sadness that we inform you of the passing away of our brother Ibrahim Ahmed Yusuf alias Johnny, the deputy secretary general of Jamia Mosque. May Allah forgive him, have mercy on him and grant him Jannatul Firdaus,” the mosque said in a tweet.
The mosque’s Secretary General Abdul Barry said Johnny succumbed to kidney failure, adding that the outspoken politician had been attending dialysis sessions.
Legions of Gor Mahia fans felt cheated for missing an opportunity to see off one of their most ardent fans who had made a name for himself in their ranks as he danced around the city and in the stadium chanting Luo songs.
During matches, Johnny the lawyer would call himself Wuod Ugenya (man from Ugenya), explaining that he hailed from Lifunga Kóbiero.
It was common to see Johnny with his jet black beard as he swayed, danced, chanted and cursed every time Gor Mahia strikers dribbled the ball or lost it to an opponent.
