Ojode was high school defender of underdogs

By Omulo Okoth

Joshua Orwa Ojode was my senior at Maranda High School. When I joined the Siaya County Alma mater in 1976, he was in his fourth and final year. He took me, a ‘mono’, and his younger brother, Odhiambo Agira, under his wing, guarding us against bullies.

I enjoyed the protection even in the dormitory as he slept on the lower part and me atop the double decker bed. In school life lingo, I was his boy in Osewe dormitory.

Even those days, Orwa towered over all students. He was as loquacious, humorous and witty during breaks the same way he was inside and outside the House during his long period as MP for Ndhiwa.

Pulled students

He had this knack for attracting a group of students during break time, kicking out a debate and dominating it. By the time the bell rang for classes to resume, his interlocutors would be going in different directions roaring with laughter.

The following day, students would still be reminding him about the debate, but he would bring a new twist to the debate, which always left everybody laughing.

Although he was never caught on the wrong side of school rules, the headmaster (they were not principals then) the late James Koga, always knew Orwa was not as good a student as his ever-smiling face portrayed.

He wasn’t sure why Orwa always pulled large groups of students like a trade unionist.

Yet there was nothing to pin him down with. He wasn’t even anywhere near culprits for the strike that saw the school closed for a week. That was Ojode.

Excellent debater

He was an excellent debater. The debate was usually dominated by students with exceptional academic ability such as lawyer Odindo Opiata, Dr Dennis Manyasi and the late Wadeya Ouma.

But Orwa, who was only an average student, stood tall among them and always made his contributions in a manner that left everybody in stitches.

He brought that charm and humour into politics. Many years back, when Nyanza politicians were in the opposition, Orwa was very close to some of Kanu insiders like Mark Too and Hon Nicholas Biwott.

I was in his company one day in Parliament when an MP from South Nyanza desperately wanted money to travel upcountry for an important fund raising in his constituency.

He mentioned this to Orwa.

By a stroke of good luck, a fabulously rich and powerful minister in the Kanu regime happened to pass by. Orwa jocularly engaged him and within three minutes, the Minister produced a ward of crisp bank notes, in Sh500 denominations.

The desperate MP was instantly ecstatic. He had money to fuel his car and much more for the fund raising event.

That was Orwa Ojode, who took life easy and used his humour to make the lives of those around him cheerful.