Ochola Ogaye Mak'Anyengo

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Ochola Ogaye Mak’Anyengo
Daniel Arap Moi
Personal details
Born
George Philip Ochola

(1930-04-13)13 April 1930
Nairobi People's Convention Party
Kenya African National Union
Kenya People’s Union (K.P.U.)
Parents
  • Yohana Anyengo[1] (father)
  • Rael Ogondi (mother)
EducationAfrican Labour College (Kampala)
University of Chicago
OccupationTrade Unionist
Politician
Trade Union PositionsSecretary-General of the Kenya Petroleum Oil Workers Union

Assistant Secretary-General of the All Africa Trade Union Federation

Vice-President of the Africa Chapter of the International Federation of Petroleum Workers

Secretary-General of the Kenya African Workers Union

Secretary-General of Railways and Harbours Union

Ochola Ogaye Mak'Anyengo, also known as George Philip Ochola (1930–1990) was a

Kenyan trade unionist and Member of Parliament for Ndhiwa, South Nyanza, Kenya.[2] He was involved in the fight for Kenya's independence and was a beneficiary of the Mboya-Kennedy airlifts.[2][3][4][5]

Early life and education

George Philip Ochola (later known as Ochola Ogaye Mak’Anyengo) was born in 1930 in South Nyanza, Kenya Colony, to Yohana Anyengo, a Licensed Minister in the Seventh-day Adventist Church - Ranen Field and Rael Ogondi.[1][6][7] He completed his primary school education at Kamagambo Mission School and high school at Kisii Secondary School.[1] Ochola first worked as a teacher before he worked as a freight dispatcher with the East African Railway and Harbour Administration. He left this job because of its low pay - 330 shillings a month. He then became a pump service and retail clerk with Kenya Shell Oil Company Ltd. He was then selected for a management trainee course at Kenya Shell Oil Company Ltd in 1954 in Nairobi.[1][8][9][2]

Ochola was a beneficiary of the

Corn Products Refining Company in Summit, Illinois, to pay for his upkeep.[5][10][8]

Politics and Trade Unionism

Independence struggle and civil rights activities

While working at Kenya Shell Company Limited, George Philip Ochola became involved in the struggle for Kenya’s independence. He was a member of the

Mau Mau emergency. The state of emergency regulations drafted for the Mau Mau emergency were used to subjugate this party. George Philip Ochola stepped into a prominent leadership role following this round-up and his efforts ensured that the party continued to increase in size and popularity.[3]

At the

Michigan Avenue in March 1961 which was met by counter protesters.[11]

President John F. Kennedy started the Peace Corps in February 1961 with the official aim of encouraging mutual understanding between Americans and other nations and states.[13] Foreign students in the Chicago area had divergent opinions regarding the intentions and usefulness of the program.[14] Ochola Mak'Anyengo was quoted in an article published in the Chicago Tribune saying "It is pointless to extend the arm of friendship to my country when a group of United States citizens, descendants of Africans, have no friendship here. Your best peace corps to African nations would be to improve the racial situation in America."[14]

In September 1964, a delegation of the

Moise Tshombe, the Premier of Congo. Ochola was quoted in the press warning that massive workers demonstrations against the American embassy and Americans in Kenya would occur if President Johnson did not meet the delegation. According to the press, he stated: "The time has come when Africans must resist the Americans’ stupid idea of looking on Africans as inferior people who cannot judge for themselves what is good or bad for them. The sons and daughters of Africans must arise to resist by all means American Imperialism and colonialism."[15]

Trade Unionism and Politics

Before travelling to Chicago, Ochola Mak’Anyengo was elected to head the Petroleum and Oil workers Union soon after completion of the management trainee course with Kenya Shell Company Limited.[2] After obtaining his Diploma from the University of Chicago, he returned to Kenya and took up several trade union positions.[16] These include the Office of the Secretary-General of the Kenya African Workers Union, the Office of Vice-President of the Africa Chapter of the International Federation of Petroleum Workers, the Office of the Secretary-General of Railways and Harbours Union and the Office of the Assistant Secretary General of the All Africa Trade Union Federation.[16]

Mak'Anyengo was also appointed to the Ministry of Labour Advisory Board in March 1963. As a member of this advisory board, he was involved in the development of the National Social Security Fund. This government agency, tasked with managing retirement funds for employees, was established in 1965 through an act of parliament.[17][18]

Mak'Anyengo was a founding member of the

Oginga Odinga, Bildad Kaggia, Pio Gama Pinto, Achieng Oneko, Dennis Akumu and Ochola Mak’Anyengo were among those who voiced concerns relating to corruption in government and increasing western influence in the country. They promised to pursue policies that would benefit all Kenyans but these were criticised as being radical.[20][21]

Pio Gama Pinto Assassination

the truth, justice and reconciliation commission (2013) concluded that the Kenyatta government was responsible for numerous gross violations of human rights including the political assassination of Pio Gama Pinto. Ochola Mak'Anyengo was briefly arrested following accusations that he had hired men to frighten Pinto ostensibly because Pinto was his trade-union rival. One of these men ended up assassinating Pinto. These charges were dropped when one of the accused assassins denied having met Mak'Anyengo.[24][23][25]

Detention without trial

In August 1966 Ochola Mak'Anyengo was arrested together with other leaders of the K.P.U. and detained without trial for several years. Those arrested included Oginga Odinga’s private secretary Oluande Koduol, the general secretary of the East African Common Services Civil Servants Union, Peter Ooko. Mak'Anyengo was imprisoned until July 1968. Upon release, he was unanimously re-elected, by popular vote, to continue heading the Petroleum and Oil Workers Union.[26][27]

On 25 October 1969, a major incident occurred in Kisumu town, the capital of Nyanza Province. President Jomo Kenyatta attended the inauguration of the New Nyanza Provincial Hospital. Tom Mboya, a popular leader amongst the resident Luo community, had been assassinated on 5 July 1969 and as a result, political tensions were high. A demonstration ensued during the inauguration which led to the deaths of at least 11 civilians in the hands of police, by official accounts. Other estimates placed the death toll at closer to 100 men, women and children, some of whom were shot up to 50 km (31 mi) away from the demonstrations. This incident is often referred to as the Kisumu massacre.[28][29] The Kenya People's Union (K.P.U.) was banned following this incident. Several party members, including Mak'Anyengo, were arrested on 27 October 1969. This was his second detention without trial.

Amnesty International ran a campaign - postcards for prisoners - to publicise his imprisonment without trial. In June 1970, Mak'Anyengo announced his intention to go on hunger strike to protest his imprisonment. In August 1970, several of those detained were released but Mak'Anyengo was held in prison until March 1974. Despite the official allegation, that he acted illegally against the government at the time of his arrest, Mak'Anyengo was never formally charged or tried for any wrongdoing. No evidence was ever brought forward to support the imprisonment.[30][31][32]

Return to Trade Unionism and Politics

Following his release, he eventually returned to trade unionism and politics. Mak’Anyengo successfully ran for the office of secretary general of the Railways and Harbours Union in 1981. In 1983, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Ndhiwa Constituency on a K.A.N.U. (Kenya African National Union) party ticket. During this period he was the Assistant Minister for Health, Assistant-minister for Culture and Social Services and Assistant-minister for foreign affairs.[2][16]

Death

Ochola Mak'Anyengo died in 1990 while in office following a short illness.[2][16]

Legacy

A eulogy delivered at the start of a parliamentary house meeting following his death described him as a veteran trade unionist and renowned freedom fighter with a notable sense of humour and debating skills. It was stated: "His contribution to the national development, devotion to serving his constituents and his dedication to the ruling party Kanu all speak for themselves."[33]

Publications

  • Why Mau Mau by George Philip Ochola. Liberation. January 1960. Available from the University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign. Digitised 9 March 2011
  • Union Problems in Developing Countries by Ochola Mak’Anyengo. IUD Digest. 1962 Available from the Wayne State University Library. https://reuther.wayne.edu/node/4616
  • How Politics Affect the Role of the Trade Union Leaders in Developing Countries by Ochola Ogaye Mak'Anyengo, Vice-President International Federation of Petroleum Workers. Petro. International Federation of Petroleum Workers 1963. From Cornell University Digitised 11 July 2011

See also

  • Tom Mboya, the man Kenya wanted to forget by David Goldsworthy. East African Publishers, 1982

References

  1. ^ a b c d Osieyo, Stephen (19 June 2020). "Ochola Makanyengo. What a manner of a man". Namlolwe Anecdotes. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Ngʼweno, Hilary; Dias, Lorna, Makers of a nation: the men and women in Kenya's history. Ochola Mak'Anyengo, NTV (Television station : Nairobi, Kenya), Nation Media Group Limited, Kenya History & Biographies Co. Ltd, NTV : Kenya History & Biographies Co., Ltd, retrieved 6 March 2024
  3. ^ a b c d Kenya, the National Epic: From the Pages of Drum Magazine By Garth Bundeh and James R. A. Bailey East African Publishers, 1993
  4. ^ a b c d Airlift to America: How Barack Obama Sr., John F. Kennedy, Tom Mboya, and 800 East African Students Changed Their World and Ours by Tom Shachtman. St. Martin's Press (15 September 2009)
  5. ^ a b Kenyan Student Airlifts to America 1959-1961: An Educational Odyssey By Stephens, Robert F. East African Educational Publishers (Jan, 2014)
  6. ^ 1934 Yearbook of the Seventh-Day Adventist Denomination
  7. ^ 1948 Yearbook of the Seventh-Day Adventist Denomination
  8. ^ a b "Walter P. Reuther Library IUD Digest". reuther.wayne.edu. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  9. ^ International Transport Workers Journal, Volumes 21-22, publisher: International Transport Workers' Federation, 1961; Cornell University
  10. ^ "African Unionist gets liberal education". The Minneapolis Star. 22 August 1961. p. 7. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Funeral march held for lumumba". The Daily Chronicle. 13 March 1961. p. 10. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  12. ^ Where the boys are: cuba, cold war America and the making of a new left. By Van Gosse. 1993
  13. ^ "Peace Corps | JFK Library". www.jfklibrary.org. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  14. ^ a b Students Tell View on Peace Corps Plans. Chicago Tribune. Saturday 15 April 1961. Page 7. Available from https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/374621963
  15. ^ "Kenyan Warns Johnson must see Africans" Chicago Tribune (Chicago Illinois), Sunday 27 September 1964. Page 2
  16. ^ a b c d Western-Educated Elites in Kenya, 1900-1963: The African American Factor By Jim C. Harper. Routledge; 1 edition (10 September 2012)
  17. ^ Kenya Gazette 26 March 1963. Notice 1263
  18. ^ "Overview of NSSF - NSSF Kenya". 14 May 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Exposed: Power struggles that set Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Jomo Kenyatta on warpath". The Standard. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  20. ^ Birth of a Nation. The Story of a Newspaper in Kenya by Gerard Loughran 2010
  21. ^ Underdevelopment in Kenya: The Political Economy of Neo-colonialism, 1964-1971 By Colin Leys 1975
  22. ^ "Pinto: Untold life story of first unsung 'martyr'".
  23. ^ a b Pio Gama Pinto: Kenya's Unsung Martyr. 1927-1965 By Shiraz Durrani. Vita Books, October 2018
  24. ^ Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission Final Report Volume 1 (2013) http://www.tjrckenya.org/index.php?option=comcontent&view=article&id=573&itemid=238
  25. ^ "Kenya: How Pinto Murder Was Plotted . . . And Kisilu Framed" Allafrica.com stories 19 June 2000 https://allafrica.com/stories/200006190052.html
  26. ^ "500 TU members in prisons". The Guardian. 16 November 1970. p. 20. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  27. ^ "5 opposition leaders seized". Pasadena Independent. 5 August 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Kenyatta regime covered up Kisumu massacre". Nation. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  29. ^ "Dark Saturday in 1969 when Jomo's visit to Kisumu turned bloody". Nation. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  30. ^ Monthly Newsletter from Amnesty International. Postcards for Prisoners campaign. August 1970. Available from: https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/204000/nws210111970en.pdf
  31. ^ Amnesty International Annual Report 1973-1974. Available from: https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/POL100011974ENGLISH.PDF
  32. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  33. ^ Kenya National Assembly Official Record (Hansard) 1 Nov 1990 Available from: https://books.google.co.ke/books/about/Kenya_National_Assembly_Official_Record.html
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