William Odongo Omamo: Technocrat, politician, educator and state minister
Former Cabinet minister William Odongo Omamo.
What you need to know:
- William Odongo Omamo was born in Sakwa, Kapiyo in Bondo District on March 27, 1928.
He joined Maranda Sector School in 1936 for his primary school education and later proceeded to Maseno School for primary and secondary education until 1948.
William Odongo Omamo, popularly known as ‘Arudhi Kaliech’, was born in Sakwa, Kapiyo in Bondo District on March 27, 1928. He was the eldest son of the late Andrea Omamo and Helena Anyango Omamo.
He joined Maranda Sector School in 1936 for his primary school education and later proceeded to Maseno School for primary and secondary education until 1948.
After his O-Level examinations, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the Madras Agricultural College, Coimbatore, India, in 1955, a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the Lyallpur Agricultural College in Pakistan in 1959 and a second MSC in Agricultural Economics from the Oregon State University in the USA in 1961.
In January 1987, he was awarded a DSc. (Honoris Causa) from his alma mater, Tamil Nadu University India (formerly Madras Agricultural College).
Dr Omamo was part of Kenya’s first generation of technocrats. In 1966, he was appointed as the first Kenyan African Principal of Egerton College (now Egerton University) before joining politics in 1969 and winning the Bondo parliamentary seat.
He was subsequently appointed Minister for Natural Resources by Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. Dr Omamo served as a Cabinet minister in various ministries during the Kenyatta and Daniel Moi eras, including in the ministries of Environment and Natural Resources, Agriculture and Livestock Development as well as Research Science and Technology. His last stint as an MP was in 1997.
His memoirs, The Path to Kaliech, released posthumously by his son Robert Omamo, he describes his personal and professional journey, providing an insider’s view as a Cabinet minister in the governments of Mzee Kenyatta and Moi.
Prominent themes include the cultural milieu of his community and childhood, his challenges acquiring an education, transition from an academic to government service, and life in politics.
There are details about his relationship with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and untold stories of the political intrigues in the Kenyatta and Moi administrations.
Compiled by Nation team
