Dalmas Otieno Anyango, a towering figure in Kenya’s
political and public service landscape, is remembered as a reformer,
intellectual, and independent-minded leader whose career spanned more than
three decades.
Born in 1945 in Rongo, Migori County, Otieno rose from modest beginnings to become a minister in multiple administrations, earning a reputation as one of Kenya’s most principled and visionary leaders.
Otieno studied Applied Economics at Makerere University and later specialized in insurance and finance, qualifying as a Chartered Insurance Practitioner from the UK-based Chartered Insurance Institute.
Before entering politics, he had a successful career in the financial sector, including a stint as chairman of Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB).
His political journey began in 1988 when he was elected MP for Rongo under the then-ruling KANU party.
He would go on to serve in various Cabinet roles, including as Minister for Industrialisation, Labour, and Transport & Communications under President Daniel arap Moi.
Otieno returned to Cabinet in 2008 under the Grand Coalition government of President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, where he served as Minister of Public Service.
It was during this period that he spearheaded landmark civil service reforms, including the digitization of government operations, the creation of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, and the modernisation of the Kenya School of Government.
He was widely respected for his deep knowledge of governance, fiscal management, and policy development.
Despite his close association with Raila Odinga in the early 2000s, Otieno often took independent political positions. In 2014, he attempted to form a political movement called Kalausi to rival ODM in South Nyanza.
Kalausi, which means "whirlwind" in the Luo language, was intended as a political outfit to emancipate the people of South Nyanza and challenge what Otieno viewed as ODM's mismanagement and monopolization of regional politics.
The move signaled Otieno's break from ODM officials and members, and it represented his ambition to create an alternative political voice in a region traditionally controlled by ODM and its leader Raila.
After losing his parliamentary seat in 2017, he was appointed to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, a body he had helped create.
In 2022, Otieno resigned from the SRC to contest the Migori gubernatorial seat on a Jubilee Party ticket, but was unsuccessful.
Otieno faced stiff competition in a race dominated by a candidate from the dominant party, ODM. The ODM candidate, Ochilo Ayacko, emerged victorious, capitalising on strong party structures and grassroots mobilisation in the region, a traditional ODM stronghold.
Jubilee’s influence in Nyanza had waned significantly by 2022, and Otieno’s decision to vie on its ticket isolated him from the region’s political mainstream.
Otieno is remembered as a man of integrity, intellect, and public service—a leader who prioritized systems and structures over personality politics.
He is survived by his wife and children.
