By Anderson Ojwang
One of the best kept secrets between the Jaramogi Oginga family and former Cabinet Minister the late Dalmas Otieno and powerful former Internal Security Permanent Secretary the late Hezekiah Oyugi was made public at the burial of the former Rongo MP.
The revelation dispelled the previously and widely perceived notion of political difference and bad blood between the Odingas with two former close allies of President Daniel Moi.
And the revelation was a shocker to the public who had often been used as pawns in the game by the politicians and had often been consumed by artificial political hatred, rivalry and public gallery antics.
For the politicians it has all been deception to the public as they usually reach out to one another in times of need and cake sharing while fuelling imaginary rivalry and contest.
That is how Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Oginga revealed how Dalmas and Oyugi came up with a strategy that enabled the Odinga family to find solutions to two serious problems they faced at that time.
For Oburu, the Odingas were reeling from the effect of Raila’s detention over alleged involvement in the 1982 coup.
Raila was arrested and charged with treason after being accused of being among the masterminds of the 1982 coup.
He was released six years later in February 1988 but was detained again in August of the same year and was released in June 1989.
Similarly, the Odingas wanted a bank loan to expand the family business, expand East African Spectre, the only company manufacturing liquid gas cylinders in Kenya. They were advised to speak to Dalmas.
Raila founded the Standard Processing Equipment Construction and Erection Limited in 1971 and it was later renamed EA Spectre.
It took the intervention of Dalmas and Oyugi to coin a phrase that the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was to say to the press to unlock the bank loan and Raila’s detention dilemma.
Oburu, who is the chairman of the Oginga family, said he approached Dalmas sometime late in 1988 after he was advised by the bank.
**“On my part, I can tell you, that even during the tense political moment in the country between Kanu and the opposition, we maintained friendship with Dalmas.
Dalmas used to say that there can never be any form of fight between Oburu and Otieno whatsoever. I can say here, we never differed or exchanged bitter words between us.
I want to say something which Otieno did to me. When Otieno was the Minister for Industry, I went to his office after the 1988 elections.
When I went to see Otieno, I had good reason because we were expanding our company, which manufactures domestic gas cylinders. We wanted to expand and move from the Industrial Estate to our own premises.
We needed money to expand, build the factory and when I went to the Industrial Development Bank, which was expected to provide us with the loan facility.
When I asked them for a loan facility to expand the factory, they told me before they could process our loan, we must speak to Otieno because my father was a politician. President Moi must know people who received loans.
That time, I was still working with national government as a planning officer. They told me because my father was a politician, President Daniel Moi must know about the request.
So I talked to Dalmas who equally told me that Moi must know about the request and he advised that we should speak to Oyugi.
We talked and they advised me to ask Jaramogi to make a single statement saying that ‘he had no problem with Moi’ and that what we wanted would be done.
After the meeting, I travelled to Kisumu to meet my father. I asked Jaramogi, please just make a statement that you have no problem with Moi and we shall get the loan.
Jaramogi agreed but on one condition, that he would make the statement provided they also release Raila from detention.
When I came back, I told Dalmas and Oyugi that Jaramogi had committed to making the statement but had one condition, release Raila from prison.
Dalmas and Oyugi didn’t have any problem with the request and agreed to the proposal. I went back to Kisumu and told Jaramogi about the outcome of the meeting.
Excited, Jaramogi immediately left for Nairobi and issued the statement and within one week, we had the bank loan and within another week, Raila was released from prison.
I can never forget that. It was a very significant contribution,”** he said.
Oburu said Dalmas was a very smart politician and in 2007, when he joined ODM, Raila ensured he was appointed the Minister for Public Service in the grand coalition government.
But the appointment infuriated Assistant Minister the late Orwa Ojode, a close ally of Raila, who lamented why he was bypassed in the Cabinet appointment.
“Orwa could not excuse ODM for making Dalmas Public Service Minister while he was an Assistant Minister. I told him, Ojode, you are still young, Dalmas is older than you and I am equally older than you. Why must you be the one to be appointed? Let Dalmas work. He did a splendid job,” he said.
In 2014, Dalmas came up with a political outfit to rival ODM dominance in Nyanza politics and was expected to be an alternative voice.
He said then “I would have wished to stay in ODM but my conscience tells me otherwise. I will not relent in my bid to form a rival party to the one that took me to Parliament.”
The Kalausi party, Luo for whirlwind, was expected to create competition for ODM, especially in South Nyanza, but it faded out.
Dalmas blamed lack of development in Luo Nyanza on politics of intolerance and tribalism championed by ODM.
