The most powerful civil servant in Kenyan history arguably remains PS Hezekiah Nashon Oyugi Ogango. He was nicknamed Kalam Maduong because his big pen could hire, fire, detain and destroy anyone within the civil service. He bypassed the special branch (Intelligence) and had his parallel spy network, with the whole Provincial Administration reporting directly to him ignoring their official chain of command.
The Super PS had unfettered access to President Moi as his gatekeeper and nobody would see Mzee without Oyugi's clearance. He was so feared that many politicians trembled in his presence, many others received his calls on their knees.
During the single party system, he was the architect of the 1988 Mlolongo system which was used to rig elections and purge those he disliked.He was such a ruthless destroyer of the established Luo leadership, and could even kill and maim to serve his interests and that of the Moi administration.
He had a bitter struggle with strong Luo leaders like Dr. Robert Ouko. He did not like the charismatic nature of Dr. Ouko, which made him admired locally and all over the world. He also hated to see the growing popularity of Dr. Ouko during the clamor for pluralism. Mayne he feared that Ouko would bypass him into the Luo kingpinship. Witness accounts claim that Oyugi's white car transported Ouko to his brutal death, which was even more dreadful than that of Ong'ondo Were. I've read about his brutality in Raila's Flame of Freedom and Anguka's Absolute Power.
Following Ouko's brutal murder, there was international pressure for justice in 1991. The man who was this powerful was fired , arrested and detained at GSU headquarters for two weeks. He was later released for lack of evidence but died months later, with his family claiming that he had been poisoned while in custody.
Fast forward, we have seen the powerful Interior PS Karanja Kibicho. His reign had him empower many young people from Mt. Kenya and others close to him, without picking fights with elected leaders. He messed up at the last minute when he started having political ambitions at the tail end of Uhuru error (intended) when he picked a fight with his governor, Ann Waiguru.
When President Ruto came, he split the Interior PS Office into 3. The single post held by Kibicho was ripped into 3 departments; Department of Immigration, Department of Interior and Department of Correctional Services. On 12th June this year, a fourth department of Coordination of National Government was created just after the broadbased experts joined the government. The Ministry of Interior has 4 PSs today, and we still believe how powerful they are, powerful enough to prefect over MPs, governors, other 50 PSs and the mighty ODM in Luo Nyanza. Powerful enough to compare with Oyugi Ogango and even claim his Kalam Maduong moniker.
If Eliud Owalo would open up today. If Evans Kidero would tell you what happened during UDA grassroot elections in Homa Bay and what he went through after spending heavily to set base for the party in Homa Bay. If walls with ears could speak, then you would really know that history stubbornly repeats itself.
Former Minister Oloo Aringo once said, "There are many men and women whose lives and businesses were destroyed by Oyugi and we buried them. At times, we had to say embarrassing things for our survival and safety of our families." Odoyo Owidi et al know the story of Oyugi Ogango, and they have to heap praises for their own survival and that of their families.
However, we will not sit back and let the late Oyugi to resurrect and destroy the future of our leaders. We have a communal responsibility to preserve our leaders and protect them from the fate of Robert Ouko. Ongondo Were should be the last man to die through such brutality.
