Ochola Ogur: The MP who offered himself to be caned for dabbling in KANU

Former Nyatike MP Tobias Ochola Ogur who died early this week will go down in history as one of the most humorous politicians who used satire and drama to scale political heights.

At the height of his political career that spanned more than three decades, Ogur tickled his colleagues in Parliament with his funny outlook on issues and in debates.

Back at home, he employed his witty character to build a massive support base. While his opponents used money to woo voters, Ogur used his sharp tongue during campaigns- often leaving even his haters reeling in laughter.

As other politicians dished out money, an ever-smiling Ogur known for his oversized coats often asked the constituents to vote for him “On Credit” promising to sort them out once he is safely in Parliament.

He successfully did this during three elections- 1988, 1992 and 2002.

Shortly after being re-elected in 1992 on a Ford Kenya ticket, word went round that Ogur was among the MPs from Luo Nyanza who had been paid to defect to Kanu. The then Ndhiwa MP Tom Obondo was the first to defect and rumours were rife Ogur and his then Rangwe counterpart Prof Ouma  Muga were next in queue.

To escape the wrath of his angry constituents, Ogur had to devise quick survival tactics.  One hot afternoon as he drove through Migori, agitated youths stopped him and demanded to know his stand.

Cornered, Ogur pulled a good one from his bag of tricks; He came out of the car, like a subdued prey, his hands in the air.

“Who am I to abandon Ford Kenya? I offer myself to be caned to prove my innocence. Somebody step forward and cane me if they believe it is true,” Ogur said to the shock of the crowd that had gathered, including this writer.

Like the Biblical hypocrites who ducked when Jesus asked them to throw the first stone to the adulterous woman, everybody scampered. The MP stepped back into his car and left.

When he reached Wath Ong’er shopping center in his constituency, he met another angry crowd and the threw a similar challenge.  He left them reeling in laughter and drove to his home.

But the crowds were right for he went ahead to defect to Kanu in the run-up to the 1997 election. They handed him a befitting gift, losing with a huge margin to newcomer Tom Onyango of the National Democratic Party (NDP).

After losing the 1997 election, Ogur was nominated as a Councilor to the Migori County Council. He felt bruised and demoted but the humor sustained him.

 But Ogur, using his political charm and usual theatrics, elbowed his way back to Parliament in 2002, through the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) in the wave that swept Kanu out of power after 24 years.

In that election, Ogur distributed oranges to voters to counter his opponents who were dishing money during campaigns.  He went ahead to win with a landslide.

 “Mr Ogur had a great sense of humour. While his opponents had a lot of money, he moved around the villages with a pick up loaded with oranges.  Voters scrambled for the fruits as he spices with humorous talks,” said Kenneth Ouma, one of his former campaigners

He added:  “I have never seen such a witty politician.  He was always happy. The only times I saw him visibly angry was on the occasions Kenyan fishermen were arrested by   Tanzania and Ugandan authorities while fishing on Lake Victoria. On those days, Ogur would make furious calls to the Provincial Commissioner.”

Indeed, Mr Ogur’s sense of homour is only comparable to other Luo Politicians –former MPs Phares  Oluoch Kanindo, William Odongo Omamo and Onyango Midika who also had a rare gift of the garb.

Besides Humour, Ogur who holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Zagreb University in Yugoslavia has been described as a hardworking and a humble politician who never held on to grudges.

His cousin and former Personal Assistant, Jasper Ater, says Ogur had a rare combination of humility, love for peace, politics and development.

“He never held grudge against anyone, even with his opponents.  He did a lot for Nyatike when he was an assistant minister for Health and an MP. He opened Nyatike to the world. He brought the first Ambulance to Nyatike in 1988,” says  Ater.

In parliament where he served for three terms- 1988, 1992 and 2002, Ogur was a restless, humorous and an avid debater.

He often lit up the chambers and House speakers always gave him chance to ask questions or contribute the motions.

One day in October 2007 Ogur sent his colleagues reeling in laughter when he  sought to know why his constituency was delisted as  a hardship area where  public  servants  and teachers would be paid  special hardship allowances.

Standing on a point of order Ogur is quoted in the Hansard as saying: “Mr Speaker, Sir. Nyatike was enjoying the privilege of hardship allowance until it was stopped in 1992 without any notice. It was as if we had become rich. We became poorer! We experience floods and drought all the time! There was absolutely nothing! They withdrew that privilege without telling us anything!  Now, could the Assistant Minister reinstate the hardship allowance to Nyatike immediately, now that I have reminded him?”

On July 18, 1995, Ogur, then a shadow minister for health appointed by the opposition left the house in stitches when he opposed plans by the government to spray parts of Transmara district to kill mosquitos in a fight against malaria.

The then Assistant Minister in the Office of the President- Julius Sunkuli had angered Ogur with an announcement about the planned spray.

“Mr Speaker Sir, I am a bit worried that Transmara will be sprayed. Is it really in order to spray Transmara with drugs when some of the insects and animals may not need that treatment,” he protested.

A close look at the Hansard during the time Ogur was in Parliament gave a character who was often warned by the speaker for loitering in the chambers and consulting loudly.

 He once ran into trouble for referring to a group of MPs who were walking out of the Chambers as “Those Maasais walking out of the Chamber,”

The MP was passionate about Lake Victoria and its fishermen and often lost his temper while protesting the frequent harassment of fishermen by Tanzanian authorities and over-fishing by people he referred to as strangers.

Rising on a point of order on June 29, 1995, Ogur protested: “We have been missing certain types of fish because certain communities have brought their big canoes and trawlers which they buy from Japan. We would have competed with them but they are favoured.  We never go to pick their coffee. We have never gone to cut their sugar cane. We never go to pick their tea or pyrethrum.  We never even visit their homes when they are slaughtering their goats,” said Ogur.

Current Nyatike MP, Tom Odege eulogised Ogur: "We will forever be indebted to him as much as he will eternally remain an icon of our great constituency. We will remain supportive to the family during this time of sorrow,"