Former Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno dies
According to his family, the former Rongo MP died on Sunday at his home in Nairobi at the age of 80.
Former Public Service Minister and Rongo Member of Parliament Dalmas Otieno has died.
According to his family, the former Rongo MP died on Sunday at his home in Nairobi at the age of 80, with the cause of his death undisclosed at this time.
He was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Rongo Constituency in 1988, under the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party.
Throughout his political career, Otieno held several senior Cabinet positions, including Minister for Industrialization, Minister of Labour and Human Resource Development, and Minister of Transport during the KANU administration under the late President Daniel arap Moi.
He later left KANU to join Raila Odinga in the Orange Democratic Movement and was appointed as Public Service Minister in the Grand Coalition Government formed in 2008 between ODM and Mwai Kibaki’s Party of National Unity (PNU).
In 2014, he founded a political outfit dubbed “Kalausi” to challenge the dominance of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in the Nyanza region.
Most recently, he served as the Vice Chairperson of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), a body he helped establish during his tenure as Minister for Public Service.
Deputy Chief of Staff, Delivery and Government Efficiency in the Ruto administration, Eliud Owalo, mourned the former State official, describing him as a brilliant and composed leader.
I first knew Dalmas during my university student days and later developed a close working relationship with him that spanned over three decades. Most recently, we collaborated on the conceptualisation of the Nyanza International Investment Conference," Owalo posted.
"Dalmas was an exceptionally brilliant and composed leader - articulate, visionary, and a shrewd businessman with an unwavering passion for socio-economic development."
He added that Otieno's death has robbed Kenya of one of the most brilliant minds of our generation.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, in a post on X, eulogised Otieno as a statesman whose contribution to Kenya’s political and socio-economic landscape will be fondly remembered.
"Hon. Otieno served the nation with unwavering dedication, both as a Cabinet Minister and a long-serving Member of Parliament. His calm demeanor, intellect, and ability to bridge divides made him a voice of reason and an example of principled leadership," Wetang’ula said.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir also joined leaders paying tribute to Otieno.
"Hon. Dalmas Otieno served our country with great distinction, leaving behind a legacy of principled leadership, wisdom, and dedication to the democratic struggle. His contributions to national unity and public service will be remembered for generations to come," the Governor said.
