Francis ‘Bochong’ Nkwain, CPDM party appointed Senator for the North West region, and former minister is dead.

He died at the Yaounde Central Hospital yesterday morning after a brief illness. Reports say the 86-year-old Senator had complained of light fever and was rushed to the Yaounde Central Hospital. There he spent only four days before giving up the ghost in the early hours of yesterday.

Family sources say his wife is also critically sick and is presently in a U.S hospital. UDP national chairman, El Hadj Lawan Bako who also hails from Boyo as the late Nkawain, told our reporter by phone yesterday that the late Nkwain had recently told him he would soon be going to the U.S to attend to the wife who is suffering from a kidney problem.

“Senator Nkwain told me only recently that his daughter, Ann Nsang Nkwain is also sick and hospitalised in America. I told him I would pray for both for his sick wife and Ann.” Bako said.

While regretting that Nkwain’s death has left a vacuum that would hardly be filled, Lawan Bako called on his family members and friends not to question God’s decision.

Nkwain, it should be noted, did not only attend the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held in Yaoundé two weeks ago, he was only last week, guest on CRTV’s Cameroon Calling, Sunday October 12. Reports from Njinikom, his home town say he looked healthy just days before he suffered the minor illness that finally took his life.

Nkwain, who formerly served as Minister of Mines and later Minister Delegate in-charge of the Commonwealth until 1998 when he was dropped from government, was later appointed board chairman of the University of Dschang. He was appointed Senator in 2013 with Fon Chafah Isaac as his alternate. He leaves behind a sick wife and seven children.