Former Alego Usonga MP Otieno Mak’Onyango dies
Mak’Onyango, who was detained after the 1982 coup attempt, died in a Nairobi hospital on Sunday.
Former Alego Usonga Member of Parliament Otieno Mak’Onyango died on Sunday evening while receiving treatment at a Nairobi hospital. His successor, Samuel Atandi, announced his death, remembering him as a significant figure in the constituency's history.
Mak’Onyango represented Alego Usonga from 1992 to 1997 after winning a seat on a Ford-Kenya ticket following the reintroduction of multiparty politics. Before entering politics, he worked as a journalist but was arrested in August 1982 following a failed coup attempt and detained for approximately four years, during which he claimed he was tortured.
In 2003, Mak’Onyango sued the government for his detention and was awarded Sh20 million in damages in June 2012, though the compensation had not been paid by 2014, according to a newspaper report. His life spanned periods of political repression and the return of multiparty democracy in Kenya.
Why it mattersFormer Alego Usonga MP Otieno Mak’Onyango died in a Nairobi hospital after a period of detention and a legal battle for compensation.