Kenya's first Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism Achieng' Oneko spent a total of 15 years behind bars during his rocky time in public service.
Oneko was part of the famous Kapenguria 6 arrested by the British colonial government on October 20, 1952, in the wake of Mau Mau uprising together with Jomo Kenyatta, Paul Ngei, Bildad Kaggia, Kungu Karumba and Fred Kubai.
The late Minister, who was charged as 'Accused No.3' was convicted based on his alleged presence at a Kenya African Union (KAU) meeting.
Despite indicating in his appeal that documents from the alleged meeting were all in Kikuyu, which he did not understand, he was still held in detention alongside his co-accused.
After the trial, the six were taken to prison in Lakitaung to serve their sentence. By the time they were being transferred to Lodwar, Oneko had won an appeal. He was separated from the rest and detained in Manyani Prison, near Voi, 310 kilometres East of Nairobi.
They were released 9 years later after the pressure for an independent Kenya had reached unbearable levels.
Unknown to him at the time, this was not going to be the last time he would be a 'guest of the state'.
The first parliamentary election was held on independence in 1963, and the freedom fighter won the Nakuru Town Constituency seat becoming it's first-ever legislator.
Mzee Jomo Kenyatta would then become the first President of Kenya.
In a bid to reward the comrades who spent 9 years alongside him, Mzee Jomo soon appointed Oneko as Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Tourism.
Their reunion was short-lived as just 3 years later, the Information Minister quit his post and joined the Kenya People's Union (KPU).
This was a socialist party that was making waves across the country, spearheaded by the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
The death of the Kapenguria 6 brotherhood was marked in 1969 when the president visited Kisumu where he was received with what he perceived to be disrespect.
Following the outcome of the visit, Oneko was arrested and put behind bars where he served a 6-year jail term.
Oneko made his comeback to politics in 1992 when he was elected as Rarieda MP at the first multiparty elections in Kenya on a Ford-Kenya party ticket, led by Oginga Odinga.
He died of a heart attack on June 9, 2007. He was described as a pioneer, a Kenyan newspaper editor, a freedom fighter, a controversial politician and a businessman. His penchant for neatness saw his friends nickname him Nyakech (gazelle).
Oneko's son, Dr Achieng’ Ong’ong’a Oneko served as the Managing Director of the Kenya Tourism Board only to end up behind bars on September 10, 2011, over embezzlement of funds. He was arrested alongside then tourism PS Rebeccah Nabutolah.
They were accused of conspiring to defraud the Ministry of Tourism of Ksh8.9 million.
Nabutola and Dr Ong’ong’a were accused of unprocedurally awarding a tender to a private company, Maniago Safaris, for a promotional tour for permanent secretaries and the media to Masai Mara between June and December 2007.
