Joshua Orwa Ojode
Office of the president, Kenya
In office
1994 – 10 June 2012
PresidentMwai Kibaki
Preceded byHon. Peter Gatirau Munya
Personal details
Born(1958-12-29)29 December 1958
Ndhiwa Constituency
Died10 June 2012(2012-06-10) (aged 53)
Kibiku area, Ngong in Nairobi[1]
NationalityKenyan
Political partyOrange Democratic Movement
SpouseMary Ojode[2]
ChildrenAndy Ojode
Residence(s)Runda, Nairobi
Alma materMaranda School
Ramapo College
OccupationPolitician
CabinetAssistant Minister of Provincial administration and Internal Security

Joshua Orwa Ojode (29 December 1958 – 10 June 2012) was a Kenyan politician. He was first appointed to parliament on June 28, 1994 to represent the Ndhiwa Constituency for the National Development party.[3] In 2007 he joined the Orange Democratic Movement. He served as assistant minister for provincial administration and internal security.[4]

Early life

Ojode attended Ratanga primary school between 1966-1972 and Maranda School from 1973 to 1976.[5] He acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies and International Studies from Ramapo College of New Jersey (1988-1991) after successfully serving as an assistant water bailiff at the ministry of water between 1978-1981. Ojode worked at Nile Investments Central Africa Limited (1983-1986) and PolyPipes Limited (1986-1987) as marketing manager.[6] He occasionally taught at Aquinas High School.

Political career

He entered politics in 1994 as a member of parliament for the Ndhiwa Constituency.[6] He was re-elected during the 1997 elections and appointed as Assistant Minister for education, science & technology in the year 2000. In 2001, while he serving as assistant minister of education, science & technology, he tabled an alternative bill to what the government of Kenya had presented. The 2001 Petroleum Amendment bill that he drafted, proposed a regulatory authority but with some differences.[7]

Death

Main article: 2012 Nairobi Eurocopter AS350 crash

Ojode died on 10 June 2012 in a police helicopter crash in Kenya.[8] At the time of his death, Orwa Ojode was a Member of Parliament and a business person. He was a defender of the government of Kenya and had a strict stand on matters concerning security.[9] On his watch Operation linda nchi (guard the nation) was launched against Al-Shabab in Somalia. On May 11, 2009,[10] Orwa Ojode had survived a chopper crash with the then Police Commissioner Hussein Ali, RiftValley PC Hassan Noor and several journalists. When Kenya's coalition government was formed in 2008, Ojode was among those who were tipped for ministerial positions. His career derailed when Prime Minister Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement party failed to name him a full minister as had been promised.

References

  1. ^ "Saitoti, Ojode feared dead in Police chopper crash". Nation Media Group. June 10, 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  2. ^ ALLAN KISIA and MOSES NJAGIH (June 10, 2012). "Saitoti, Ojode family and friends mourn their passing". Standard Group Limited. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  3. ^ Kenya Gazette. 1 July 1994. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  4. ^ [1] Archived 2009-05-13 at the Wayback Machine. Parliament of Kenya. Accessed 11 June 2012.
  5. ^ "Joshua Ojode". Mzalendo. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Joshua Orwa Ojode (Kenya)". AfDevInfo. April 23, 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  7. ^ "Petroleum Sub-Sector : Debating the Appropriate Policy Framework" (PDF). The Point: Bulletin of the Institute of Economic Affairs (44): 1, 5. April 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  8. ^ Indo Asian News Service (June 10, 2012). "Two Kenyan ministers among six killed in chopper crash". Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  9. ^ "Saitoti, Ojode feared dead in Police chopper crash". Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  10. ^ Margaret, Kalekye (June 10, 2012). "Kenyan Ministers killed in helicopter crash". Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.
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