In his condolence message, the President eulogised the veteran politician, who until his death was the co-chair of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Taskforce, as a dependable Kenyan leader and patriot. “It is very unfortunate that we have lost such a dependable, solid and highly accomplished Kenyan leader,” President Kenyatta said. “Mzee Haji was a highly respected leader and elder whose wisdom, deep knowledge of the Kenyan society and long experience as a public administrator enabled him to serve the country in various leadership roles with distinction for many years,” he said. The President said the death of Senator Haji was a big blow to the country especially in the BBI constitutional reform process where his leadership shall be dearly missed.