By Kennedy Otieno
“Veteran journalist broke Aringo’s 18-year hold on constituency seat in 1992 before winning landmark compensation case over detention during Moi era”
Former Alego Usonga Member of Parliament Otieno Mak’Onyango, a veteran journalist who entered elective politics during Kenya’s return to multiparty democracy has died while receiving treatment at a Nairobi hospital.
His death was announced on Sunday by the constituency’s incumbent MP, Samuel Atandi, who paid tribute to the former legislator as a leader whose name would remain part of Alego Usonga’s political history.
“We have this evening lost Hon. Otieno Makonyango, the fourth Member of Parliament for Alego Usonga Constituency, who served from 1992 to 1997, while undergoing treatment at a Nairobi hospital,” Atandi said.
Mak’Onyango was elected on a Ford-Kenya ticket in the 1992 general election, defeating Peter Oloo Aringo, who had represented the constituency since 1974.
The victory ended Aringo’s uninterrupted parliamentary tenure of 18 years, making Mak’Onyango a central figure in the constituency’s political transition during the early multiparty era.
Aringo reclaimed the seat in the 1997 election and served until 2002. He died in November 2024.
Before joining politics, Mak’Onyango worked as a journalist at the East African Standard, now The Standard newspaper.
His career was interrupted in August 1982 when he was arrested in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt against the government of former President Daniel arap Moi.
He was accused of involvement in the attempted coup and spent several years in detention. Mak’Onyango maintained that his arrest and prosecution were unlawful and that he had been tortured while in custody.
His detention became one of the defining episodes of his life, eventually leading to a prolonged legal battle against the government and Moi.
Former MPs Koigi wa Wamwere, Otieno Mak’Onyango, Wanyiri Kihoro Njeru Kathangu and an activist outside the High Court/File photo
In 2003, he sued the state over his arrest, detention and prosecution. Representing himself in the
case, he pursued compensation for the violation of his rights, with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was also detained after the coup attempt, among those who testified in support of his case.
In June 2012, the High Court awarded Mak’Onyango Sh20 million in damages after finding that state officers had violated his fundamental rights.
Justice Kalpana Rawal described the actions of the state as unconstitutional, oppressive and contrary to the fair administration of criminal justice.
The judge noted that Mak’Onyango had lost nearly five years of his life without his family and friends as a result of the detention.
However, the judgment did not immediately translate into financial relief. In 2014, media reported that he was still struggling to access the money, despite the award and accrued interest, highlighting the difficulties faced by former political detainees seeking compensation for historical human-rights violations.
In his tribute, Atandi expressed condolences to Mak’Onyango’s family, friends and residents of Alego Usonga.
“May God comfort his family, friends, and the people of Alego Usonga during this difficult time,” he said.
