• It is Ken Okoth's daring attitude that made him plunge into the murky world of politics.
• His widow Monicah Okoth said it was that attitude that endeared her to him when they met at St. Lawrence University in Austria.
Image: FILE
Ken Okoth was yesterday remembered as a daring and passionate man who loved to challenge odds, always asking “why not me?”.
His widow Monicah Okoth said yesterday that even while battling late-diagnosed colorectal cancer, Okoth would ask those who empathised with him "why not me?"
She spoke during a memorial service organised by the Starehe Boys School at the institution.
It is this daring attitude that made him plunge into the murky world of politics, she said.
“People discouraged him not to get into politics because he had a comfortable life. But he still asked them 'why not me'?” she said.
Monicah said it was that attitude that endeared her to him when they met at St. Lawrence University in Austria.
Despite being the only black person at the university, Okoth became a student leader and was known to always refer to everyone by name.
Ken was very brilliant and when we met at the university, he stood out, she said.
She said that her husband was an honest man "who hid nothing from me," appearing to dismiss information swirling on social media suggesting that Okoth had a secret relationship.
Politicians also commended Okoth's boldness. When Okoth first ran for Parliament, he rose against a strong political establishment.
"When he chose to contest the Kibra seat, he had zero chances given that those who he ran against were close to the political leadership of his party,” Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju said.
But he still faced the electorate, eventually winning, Tuju said, extolling the ability of the lawmaker to dream even when the facts stood against him.
Bondo MP Gideon Ochanda said his circumstances in 2013 were similar to Okoth's, saying they both ran against vicious establishment forces.
"No one would ever imagine that we would have the imagination to try. Having lived in Kibra myself, I knew Ken's chances were even lower, but he tried with boldness," Ochanda said.
In fact, former presidential candidate Peter Kenneth said that his Kenya National Congress had even reserved a ticket for Okoth just in case ODM short-changed him.
"We knew he had strong odds and because of our friendship, we reserved a ticket for him," he said.
Kenneth said he was one of the financiers of Okoth's first shot at Parliament.
Okoth's former campaign manager Canute Waswa, who would later be hired as an economic adviser to the MP, said Okoth used "unorthodox means" to fund his campaign.
"When Odhis told me about his intention to contest in 2013, yet he had no money. He told me we were to invest in calling people directly in and out of the constituency, appealing for funds and votes," Waswa said.
The childhood friend of the MP, who also went to Olympic Primary School, said they made a total of 713,000 calls.