Okoth’s inspiring rags-to-riches story shows how education can transform lives, particularly for the poor.
His family were evicted from their one-room Kibera shack by government bulldozers and dogs when he was a toddler.
When he was hungry and his mother, a clerk, didn’t have money, he would scrounge a plateful of food from neighbors.
“As you can see, now not having enough to eat is not a problem,” he says, patting his rounded belly.
Kenyan parliamentarians are among the best paid globally although four in 10 people in the East African nation struggle to meet their basic needs, according to the World Bank.
Okoth shared a mattress on the floor with his siblings until he won a scholarship to Starehe Boys Centre, one of Kenya’s top performing schools, and slept in a bed for the first time.
With additional scholarships, he studied up to masters level in the United States before returning home to run for member of parliament for the newly created Kibra constituency – representing Kibera – in Kenya’s 2013 elections.
Kibra is the original name for Kibera, given to it by its original inhabitants, Nubian soldiers from Sudan who fought for the British colonialists and were rewarded with a 4,000 acre plot on the outskirts of Nairobi.
“Education is a game changer,” Okoth said, explaining why it is has been his priority since winning power.
“For a young person in Kibra to think they can be the next Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, it won’t happen until you send them to school.”
He aims to increase Kibera’s government secondary schools to five from two before Kenya’s August 2017 elections.
He wants to build a Kibera arts center and invest in sports to nurture young talent, pointing to the success of former resident Victor Wanyama, a footballer with Tottenham Hotspur.
“He earns more than Barack Obama for his soccer skills,” Okoth said.
“Our people are talented … All they are asking for (is) a chance to do something that’s dignified, not to be a thief, not to be a beggar, not to be poor.”
Okoth is at the moment battling advanced colorectal cancer and although the disease cannot be cured but only managed, Okoth has not given up on his dream of getting back on his feet and doing what he loves best and that is serving the great people of Kibera.