Former Cabinet Minister Simeon Nyachae is dead.
Nyachae passed away on Monday at the Nairobi Hospital.
He served as Finance Minister and MP for Nyaribari Chache for three terms unopposed.
He died aged 88.
Nyachae, who also served as former President Daniel Moi’s Chief Secretary was born in 1932 in Nyaribari, Kisii.
He schooled at Nyanchwa Seventh Day Adventist School in 1941 before joining Kerere Intermediate School for six year.
His father was precolonial chief. In 1949, Nyachae started his A levels at Kisii Government African School. He later joined South Devon Technical College & Churchull College, Cambridge.
When he returned to Kenya, he became a district clerk in 1954 at his father’s chief’s camp where served for six years.
He was promoted to a District Officer in Kangundo and later promoted to a District Commissioner and then a Provincial Commissioner between 1965 and 1979.
When Moi took over the government after the death of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Nyachae was appointed the Head of Civil Service & Secretray to the cabinet in 1979.
He served for nine years in this position before vying for Nyaribari Chache Parliamentary seat in 1992.
He was first appointment as Minister for Agriculture, Livestock & Fisheries.
He also served as Finance Minister and later as Minister for Industrialization, a post he deemed inferior and a demotion prompting him to resign.
In 2002, he vied against former President Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta who was then Kanu’s flag bearer.
However, Kibaki would appoint him as Minister for Energy, a position he served until 2007 when he lost his parliamentary seat.
His ill health first came into the limelight in 2016 when he was airlifted to South Africa for treatment after suffering a stroke.
Weeks prior to his demise, his family dispelled rumors as social media was awash with alleged reports of his death.
Nyachae was a great supporter of the Jubilee regime in a region where the opposition enjoys majority support.
In the 2017 General Elections, his influence came to play as Jubilee managed to garner a huge amount of votes in Kisii and Nyamira which have in the past remained strongholds for opposition, ODM.
Nyachae was known for his deep pockets and huge business ventures ranging from Agriculture, banking, real estate, manufacturing and transport sectors.
He has a sizeable stake at the NCBA Bank owned by the Kenyatta family.
Nyachae has been survived by five wives and 20 children.
