Otieno Mak’Onyango, who has died aged 74, was a journalist arrested at his desk after the 1982 coup attempt, detained for four years without trial, later elected MP for Alego Usonga, and finally a man who won Sh20 million from the State for torture and still could not pay for his medicine.
He died on the night of Sunday, October 25, 2026, at a Nairobi hospital, where he had been transferred after suffering a stroke on October 3. His death was announced by the current Alego Usonga MP, Samuel Atandi.
“Otieno Mak’Onyango paid for this country with his youth, his career and his freedom,” Atandi said. “The least this country could have done was pay him back. Instead, we watched him die waiting.”
Mak’Onyango was working at The Standard when, on August 17, 1982, he was arrested at the newspaper’s offices on Likoni Road. The Kenya Air Force had attempted to overthrow President Daniel arap Moi, prompting the State to round up suspected participants and sympathisers. Police searched his house in Buruburu and seized his letters, documents and passport.
He was held incommunicado at the General Service Unit (GSU) headquarters, where he later told the High Court that he had been beaten and tortured. On September 23, 1982, he was charged with treason. However, on March 23, 1983, the Attorney General entered a nolle prosequi, resulting in his discharge. He was immediately rearrested and detained without trial until December 1987. Raila Odinga was among those detained in the same crackdown.
His detention effectively ended his journalism career. He later argued in court that, had he not been arrested, he could have continued working as a journalist until the age of 70.
When multiparty politics returned, Mak’Onyango entered the political arena, contesting the Alego Usonga parliamentary seat on a Ford-Kenya ticket in 1992. He defeated Peter Oloo-Aringo, who had held the seat since 1974. Mak’Onyango served one term, from 1992 to 1997, during which he also held an assistant ministerial position. Aringo reclaimed the seat in the 1997 General Election.
In 2003, Mak’Onyango sued the government over his arrest, detention and torture. He represented himself in the case, with Raila Odinga testifying on his behalf. On June 15, 2012, Justice Kalpana Rawal awarded him Sh20 million in compensation for the violation of his fundamental rights.
But the money never came.
By May 2014, The Standard reported that Mak’Onyango was living in a two-room structure on a friend’s compound on the outskirts of Ngong, in Kajiado County. His compensation award, together with accrued interest reportedly amounting to about Sh24 million, remained unpaid.
He was struggling to meet his basic needs and afford medication. In a subsequent interview, he said he survived on a monthly pension of Sh8,000. He also observed that the salary he had earned as an MP belonged to the people, leaving him financially worse off than when he entered Parliament.
Mak’Onyango suffered from hypertension and diabetes, and his health gradually deteriorated. On October 3, 2026, he suffered a stroke and was admitted to a hospital in Ngong before being transferred to Nairobi.
“History will remember Otieno as a man who stood for the truth when it was dangerous to do so,” Atandi said. “But let us not pretend. The State broke him, and then it forgot him. That is the part of this story that should shame us all.”
Josiah Omotto, a friend and fellow writer, remembered him as a man who “taught us it was nice to be important, but more important to be nice.”
Omotto recalled visiting Mak’Onyango at his Kibiko home near Ngong, where he was reviewing a soft copy of his unpublished memoir, Captains of Impunity: A Story of Kenya Under Various Regimes.
“He was an alphabet of humility — no boastful waves, no haughty strides. In his DNA, honesty, simplicity and integrity were born triplets, a rare feat in a land and nation of eating chiefs,” Omotto told Inflection.
He added: “The veteran journalist was live and unafraid, quite so often, speaking truth to power. We won’t forget the hearty laughter, his warm ‘Ja-Biholo’ greetings and spicy omelets. Rest in power, Ndugu Mak’Onyango.”
Mak’Onyango is survived by his family and by a constituency that remembers his name. What Kenya owed him was eventually quantified by a court. But what the country owed him in compensation remained unpaid until he closed his eyes for the last time.
He died on the night of Sunday, October 25, 2026, at a Nairobi hospital, where he had been transferred after suffering a stroke on October 3. The death was announced by the current Alego Usonga MP, Samuel Atandi.
“Otieno Mak’Onyango paid for this country with his youth, his career and his freedom,” Atandi said. “The least this country could have done was pay him back. Instead, we watched him die waiting.”
Mak’Onyango was working at The Standard when, on August 17, 1982, he was arrested at the newspaper’s offices on Likoni Road. The Kenya Air Force had attempted to overthrow President Daniel arap Moi, and the State was rounding up suspects. Police searched his house in Buruburu and took his letters, documents and passport.
He was held incommunicado at GSU headquarters, where he later told the High Court he was beaten and tortured. On September 23, 1982, he was charged with treason. The Attorney General entered a nolle prosequi on March 23, 1983, and he was discharged — then immediately re-arrested and detained without trial until December 1987. Raila Odinga was among those detained in the same crackdown.
The detention ended his journalism career. He later argued in court that, but for the arrest, he could have worked as a journalist until 70.
When multiparty politics returned, Mak’Onyango ran for Alego Usonga on a Ford-Kenya ticket in 1992 and defeated Peter Oloo-Aringo, who had held the seat since 1974. He served one term, 1992 to 1997, and held an assistant ministerial position. Aringo took the seat back in 1997.
In 2003, Mak’Onyango sued the government over his arrest, detention and torture. He represented himself. Raila Odinga testified for him. On June 15, 2012, Justice Kalpana Rawal awarded him Sh20 million for violation of his fundamental rights.
The money did not come.
By May 2014, The Standard reported that Mak’Onyango was living in a two-room structure on a friend’s compound on the outskirts of Ngong, in Kajiado County. The award, with accrued interest said to have reached about Sh24 million, had not been paid. He was struggling with medication and basic needs. In a later interview, he described surviving on an Sh8,000 monthly pension and said the salary of an MP belonged to the people, leaving him worse off than when he entered Parliament.
He suffered from hypertension and diabetes. His health declined. On October 3, 2026, he had a stroke and was admitted to a hospital in Ngong before being transferred to Nairobi.
“History will remember Otieno as a man who stood for the truth when it was dangerous to do so,” Atandi said. “But let us not pretend. The State broke him, and then it forgot him. That is the part of this story that should shame us all.”
Josiah Omotto, a friend and fellow writer, remembered him as a man who “taught us it was nice to be important, but more important to be nice.” Omotto recalled visiting Mak’Onyango at his Kibiko home near Ngong, where he was reviewing a soft copy of his unpublished memoir, ‘Captains of Impunity: A Story of Kenya Under Various Regimes.’
“He was an alphabet of humility — no boastful waves, no haughty strides. In his DNA, honesty, simplicity and integrity were born triplets, a rare feat in a land and nation of eating chiefs,” Omotto told Inflection.
Omotto added: “The veteran journalist was live and unafraid, quite so often, spoke truth to power. We won’t forget the hearty laughter, his warm ‘Ja-Biholo’ greetings and spicy omelets. Rest in power, Ndugu Mak’Onyango.”
Mak’Onyango is survived by his family and by a constituency that remembers his name. What Kenya owed him, a court finally put in figures. What it paid him, he was still waiting for as he closed his eyes forever.