Eddy Oketch might not have emerged victorious in the just concluded Migori Senatorial by-elections but the young man surely left a mark that will not fade anytime soon.
Despite having no major political barking, the 27 year old mounted a campaign that surely left the ODM bandwagon wallowing in fear. The ODM team camped in Migori and even had to invite the party leader Raila Odinga just to try even things between Eddy and Ochilo Ayacko.
Besides Raila, who spent two days campaigning for Mr Ayacko, more than 20 MPs and over 50 MCAs descended in Migori to ward off Oketch’s influence that was giving them sleepless nights.
Oketch was running on the FPK, a party associated with former Minister Cyrus Jirongo, who used it to vie for presidency in 2017. Jirongo never went to Migori to campaign for Oketch.
Questions have emerged as to where the young man got the funds to ran a successful campaign. Eddy had helicopters and several four-wheel drive vehicles hence sparking rumours that that he was being funded by Deputy President William Ruto. Oketch denied the claim.
Who is Eddy Oketch?
The 27-year-old is an alumni of African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa. He came to the fore last year when he contested the Migori Senate seat and emerged second after the late Ben Oluoch Okello. Oketch grew up in rural Migori with the support of wellwishers after his parents died. He attended Friends School Kamusinga, the Johannesburg institution, Trinity College in the US and Yale University, where he graduated with a Masters in Global Affairs.
At the height of the 2007-2008 post-election violence, Oketch founded Ongoza, an organisation that empowered youths to help end the chaos. Oketch has been recognised with the 2012 Impact Award from the Kenyan US Diaspora, the 2013 Africa Village’s Top 30 Under 30 Most Inspirational Young People on the African continent and Salt’s 2015 top 30 under 30 most innovative and influential youths in Africa.