By Anderson Ojwang
From a humble background and orphaned at a tender age, Dr Raymond Ojwang Omollo is a walking testimony that no human being is limited.
Dr Omollo can be arguably said to be a reflection of self-belief, commitment, resilience, hard work, dedication, discipline and a selfless employee who delivers the boss’s mandate.
This was aptly captured by then deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during Dr Omollo’s thanksgiving in his Kanyipir village in Karachuonyo in 2023, which qualifies that President William Ruto made the right choice of making him the internal Security permanent secretary.
“ I wanted the position of the permanent secretary of internal security to be given to my person, But the president told me, for that post, I already have someone. Let’s talk about the posts.
I did not know Dr Omollo then but I can confirm here that President Ruto made the best choice. Dr Omollo has served the president and the nation with dedication, honesty and commitment which is above reproach.
I want to say, Dr Omollo is a great worker and I accept the president’s wisdom to give him the post despite Nyanza having voted for the Azimio Presidential candidate. The president has been vindicated in his choice,” he said.
Dr Omollo when he spoke thanked the president for the consideration and vowed to serve faithfully.
“ Your Excellency Sir, we stand here as the Omollo to give thanks to the almighty for his grace and love that he has executed through your hand. Your Excellency, today, it is a miracle that this tiny village has hosted you as the president and commander-in-chief.
It is my opportunity to make a public pronouncement of gratitude to you before my kinsmen, church and people of Kenya, accept my appreciation of gratitude, love and honour to you for this special consideration and opportunity to serve in your administration.
I am a good student who will be ready to learn and will be committed to earnestly spearhead the quest to adopt a citizen-centric approach to service delivery,” he said during the Thanksgiving prayers.
Then Cabinet Secretary of Internal Security Prof Abraham Kindiki Kithure said it was a wise choice by the president to appoint Raymond to the powerful office.
“Your Excellency, I am here to say that you made no mistake in appointing Raymond. He is trustworthy. I can say without fear of contradiction that the choice of Dr Raymond Omollo was one of the most important decisions you made in your administration.
Raymond is disciplined, straightforward, humble, obedient to authority and is not given to drunkenness and other forms of indiscipline, between Raymond and I will do the job you made us to do,” he said.
Senate Majority leader Mr. Aaron Cheruiyot said in the run-up to the last general elections, Raymond stood with President Ruto despite the strong political wind in his backyard.
“Many people asked him are you not fearing that, in the event the outcome doesn’t go your way, you will be jailed. But he replied, my fate is in the hand of God and today we are here to celebrate you.
President, allow me to say that it is ODM that gave you the platform to be known nationally. In the 2007 general election, the people of Homa Bay voted ODM and that is what made you the Minister for Agriculture. You should not be reminded of only 2022 votes. They made a contribution to your political journey. Raymond is your disciple and a witness,” he said.
President Ruto said “ I have come here to thank you for giving me this dedicated son to help me work in the Internal security. Raymond has the opportunity to serve the people of Kenya.
I am confident and I have worked with you in the past and in the last eight months you have demonstrated that indeed you deserve the responsibilities you have today. I want to tell your people, that Raymond is a professional and resolute and doing a wonderful job in the office of the president,” he said.
After the death of Raymond’s father in 1985, the family relocated back to the village from Kisumu, where Dr Omollo finally came face to face with the reality of poverty and the new lifestyle they had to live after the demise of the main breadwinner and the pillar.
His single mother never gave up on her children and just like a dream of every mother, she saw them through the school.
Dr Omollo ended up living with relatives and it was during that time, that he truly understood what poverty meant and would survive on a meal a day and this became his normal routine. Dr Omollo’s humble background and early life experience inculcated in him a calm demeanour, calculated approach, articulate communication, humility, friendly, accommodating and a sense of deep heart.
Despite coming from a once hostile political region to the subsequent governments, Dr Omollo has navigated the stormy and unpredictable waters of Nyanza to be one of the pillars to calm the opposition to President Ruto’s regime and made it his best safe net.
“ I can tell you that boy Raymond, has a calming factor. He has succeeded where most people who worked with the previous governments failed. All the Luo MPs and leaders find it easier to work with Raymond. I can tell you, that office President Ruto gave him, he has used it effectively to help the president penetrate the hostile Nyanza.
This is the best choice the president made and the continued stay of Raymond in that position would be more gainful to the president now and future. As a person, I respect and am very comfortable working with Raymond in his current capacity. He is our best,” said a member of a senior family from Nyanza who did not want to be named.
In the recent survey conducted for top-performing permanent secretaries, Dr Omollo came second after his health counterpart. Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni emerged as the top performer in a recent Mizani Africa survey, securing a 71.2% approval rating. Internal Security PS Raymond Omollo follows in second place with 67.5%, with both officials consistently ranking among the highest performers. The survey, conducted between November 18 and 25, 2024, evaluated the performance of various Principal Secretaries.
Former Nyakach MP Ochieng Daima said Dr Omollo has succeeded on all fronts in the service to the president and made it easier for Ruto to work with leaders from Nyanza.
“It is true that Omollo has not antagonized the political leadership of the region but he has helped develop a friendship between the president and the region’s leadership. He is such a blessing to the president and to us the people of Nyanza. We thank the president for trusting him with that powerful position. As a people of Nyanza, we owe the president a debt,” he said.
