By Peter Ochieng
The 13th Parliament consists of Members of Parliament (MPs) with various educational and career backgrounds. As expected, in a House of over 300 members, former teachers form part and parcel of the current crop of legislatures.
Interestingly, the majority of the ex-teachers currently in the August House are from the Nyanza region. Here we go:
1. Rosa Akinyi Buyu
Buyu is in the middle of her first term as Kisumu West MP. She was elected on the ODM party ticket in 2022, after defeating former MP, John Olago Aluoch, in what was a sweet revenge. Olago had thrashed her in previous elections.
Before being elected MP, she served as Kisumu County’s second Women Representative, after Rose Ogendo Nyamunga, from 2017 to 2022. Between 1986 and 1992, she was a high school teacher employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). The grapevine in Kisumu has it that she will vie for the Kisumu County gubernatorial seat, in future.
2. Dr Christine Oduor Ombaka
The indomitable Ombaka is serving her third term as Siaya County Women Representative. Having been first elected in 2013, she is one of the longest serving Women Representatives in the Country.
Before joining politics, she served as the principal of Sinyolo Girls High School, and a deputy Principal at Migingo Girls’ Secondary School. She was also an examiner with the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC).
From High School, she moved on to university where she served as Lecturer, Moi university in Eldoret from 1990 to 1992. She then joined Maseno university in 1993, where she went on to serve as head of the journalism and mass communication department. From 2006 to 2012, she was a senior lecturer at Maseno, before serving as director of the institute of gender affairs at the institution.
3. Dr Lillian Achieng Gogo
She surprised many in the Luo Nyanza in 2017, when she defeated various candidates among them former MP George Oner to become the first female Rangwe MP in history. Contesting and winning the seat in 2017 was a huge task, but retaining the seat on the ODM party ticket in 2022 was smooth sailing.
Dr Gogo was a lecturer at Egerton and Kenya Methodist universities before joining politics.
4. Joyce Atieno Osogo
The Homabay County Women Representative is popularly known as Bensouda. Her moniker was probably picked from former prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Gambian Fatou Bom Bensouda.
She was elected in 2022, taking over from Gladys Wanga, now Homa Bay governor. Osogo worked as a lecturer at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) in the spatial planning department.
Before then, she worked as a part-time lecturer at KCA University, a senior teacher under the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), and a nursery assistant at Danida Organisation.
Sango Academy, St Andrews Academy, Migingo Primary School, Angira Primary School, St. Alberts Secondary School and Alango Primary School are some of the schools she taught.
4. Jeremiah Omboko Milemba
The soft spoken Milemba has been Emuhaya MP since 2017. He succeeded Wilbur Otichillo who is in his second and last term as Vihiga county governor. Omboko Milemba, chairperson of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) served as a teacher at Moi Girls High School Vokoli from 1990 to 2003.
He then proceeded to Nyang’ori Boys Secondary School. In 2002, he played a pivotal role as one of the founding members of KUPPET, simultaneously holding the position of chairman for the Vihiga branch.
5. Adan Keynan
Aden Keynan, alongside Kapenguria’s Samuel Chumel Moroto are the longest serving MPs. They are in their fifth terms as MPs. Keynan, the Eldas MP is also the long-serving politician in North Eastern Kenya.
He joined elective politics in 1997, and has served as MP from 1997 to date, which means he has been reelected for 5 straight terms, a record in itself.
In a past interview, he attributed his success to God’s blessings. “Passion, commitment and service delivery have also been key to my success. These attributes have been driving me to push for more over time,” he added.
He embarked on his professional journey as an educator subsequent to achieving a Degree in Education from Moi University.
6. Peter Kalerwa Salasya
You may not believe it but the Mumias East MP is a former teacher. Salasya, one of the youngest legislatures in the country was elected in 2022 on the Eugune Wamalwa led DAP-K party, at the second time of asking, having lost in 2017.
He served as tutor/trainer at the Sigalagala National Polytechnic, from 2015 to 2016 to make ends meet, after losing his job as operations officer/cashier at the Diamond Trust Bank.
