Joseph Nyaga, popularly known as Joe Nyaga, is dead. 

The death of Joe Nyaga, who was the cabinet minister for Co-Operative Development and Marketing in the grand coalition government after the 2007 election, was announced on Friday.

Joe’s brother Norman confirmed that he died at around 1pm Friday while receiving treatment at a Nairobi hospital on Friday.

He was 72 and is reported to have succumbed to compliactions linked to Covid-19.

The soft-spoken Joe, who was a presidential candidate in the 2017 general election, hails from Gachoka in Embu County and is the son of former cabinet minister Jeremiah Nyaga.

Jeremiah Nyaga was a close ally of former President Daniel arap Moi and that earned him a cabinet post and his children also landed plum government positions during Moi’s tenure.

Joe was part of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Pentagon behind Raila Odinga’s 2007 presidential bid alongside William Ruto, Najib Balala, Musalia Mudavadi and Charity Ngilu.