This archive report was first published on 24 December 2019.
Charles Rubia, a veteran politician and a pioneer in Kenya's multi-party democracy movement, has passed away at the age of 96.
According to his lawyer, Irungu Kangata, Rubia died at his home in Karen, Nairobi, on Monday.
"He passed on today at his home," Kangata told Capital FM News. "He had been in good health even driving himself. He was not sick."
Charles Rubia was a prominent figure in Kenya's politics, serving as the first African Mayor of Nairobi and a Member of Parliament for Starehe Constituency for 20 years uninterrupted, from 1969.
He held several ministerial positions and was a key figure in championing multi-party democracy in Kenya in the 1990s, alongside the late Kenneth Matiba.
Both Rubia and Matiba were detained and later freed without trial during the era of former President Daniel Arap Moi.
President Uhuru Kenyatta led Kenyans in mourning the veteran politician, describing him as a patriot and an astute leader who dedicated his public life to the service of the country.
"As the first African Mayor, Mzee Rubia was key to the development of Nairobi city, making it an economic hub for East and Central Africa," the President said.
"It was during his era, as the city father, that Nairobi earned the title, the green city in the sun, due to his outstanding efforts of keeping the city clean and orderly," the President noted.
