Jomo Kenyatta’s tailor dies, Uhuru sends condolence message
RIP
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Dhanji Liladhar Parmar died on Monday morning at the age of 82-years after suffering a heart attack.
Mr Parmar became Mzee Kenyatta’s tailor back in 1968 when he was in his mid 20s.
A young Parmar was at the time working in his father's shop on Kenyatta Avenue in Nakuru town when Kenyatta contracted him to make his leather jacket popularly known as Kudu.
Mourning his death, President Uhuru Kenyatta sent a condolence message highlighting how his father loved Parmar’s leather jackets.
"Yes, my father, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, loved his Leather jackets. We celebrate the talent & skill of Dhanji Parmar. His life was a testimony that as long as you serve & do what you do with passion, there is no limit to what you can achieve.
"We pray that God strengthens his family," President Kenyatta said.
In a previous interview, Mr Parmar recounted how his life changed when a provincial administrator bearing good news from the Head of State visited his small shop.
"I saw a convoy of government vehicles outside the shop, then a man in police uniform stepped out and walked straight in. My heart skipped a beat because around that time Asians were being kicked out of the country. I waited!" he said.
A simple leather jacket marked the changing point of Parmar's life who ended up earning a Head of State commendation for his philanthropic works, an award that was handed to him by President Daniel Moi.
"That leather jacket changed my life for the better. The jacket opened the doors for me. It did not only build a relationship between Mzee and I, but also with other top government officials and other Kenyans," he previously recounted the story to a local daily.
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