Achieng' Oneko, Kenya's first minister of information, broadcasting, and tourism, was imprisoned for 15 years during his turbulent tenure in office.
Along with Jomo Kenyatta, Paul Ngei, Bildad Kaggia, Kungu Karumba, and Fred Kubai, Oneko was a member of the infamous Kapenguria 6 who was detained by the British colonial authority on October 20, 1952, during the Mau Mau revolt.
Based on his purported attendance at a Kenya African Union (KAU) meeting, the late Minister, charged as "Accused No. 3," was found guilty.
He claimed in his appeal that the materials from the purported meeting were all in Kikuyu, a language he did not speak, but he was still kept in custody with his co-accused.
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The six were transferred to Lakitaung Prison after the trial to complete their sentences. Oneko had already won an appeal when they were moved to Lodwar. He was taken from the group and held in Manyani Prison, a few miles east of Voi and 310 kilometres from Nairobi.
Nine years later, when demand for Kenya's independence had grown to intolerable levels, they were freed.
He was unaware this was not the last time he would be a "guest of the state."
The freedom warrior won the Nakuru Town Constituency seat in the first parliamentary election after Kenya's independence in 1963, becoming the country's first lawmaker.
The first President of Kenya would then be Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
Mzee Jomo quickly appointed Oneko as Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Tourism to show his appreciation for the comrades who had served alongside him for nine years.
Their reunion was brief because the information minister left his position and joined the Kenya People's Union (KPU) just three years later.
This socialist movement, led by the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, created ripples across the nation.
In 1969, the president's visit to Kisumu, where he was allegedly treated disrespectfully, signalled the end of the Kapenguria 6 brotherhood.
As a result of the visit's outcome, Oneko was taken into custody and sentenced to six years in prison.
Oneko returned to politics in 1992 when he won the Rarieda seat in Kenya's first multiparty elections as a candidate for the Ford-Kenya party, which Oginga Odinga led.
On June 9, 2007, he passed away from a heart attack. He was called a pioneer, the editor of a Kenyan newspaper, a freedom fighter, a contentious politician, and a successful businessman. His friends dubbed him Nyakech (gazelle) because he loves order and cleanliness.
Dr Achieng' Ong'ong'a Oneko, the managing director of the Kenya Tourism Board and Oneko's son was arrested on September 10, 2011, for embezzling money. Along with Rebeccah Nabutolah, a former tourism PS, he was detained.
They were charged with collaborating to steal Ksh8.9 million from the Ministry of Tourism.
Nabutola and Dr Ong'ong'a were charged with improperly selecting Maniago Safaris as the winner of a contract for a promotional trip to Masai Mara for permanent secretaries and the media between June and December 2007.
