A story is often told of a boy from the Kakan Clan of Alego Usonga in Siaya County, who ventured into small business while still in primary school, risked it all in neighbouring Uganda and returned home to build one of the most popular and successful business empires in Siaya Town.
Mr John Orwenjo Umidha, popularly known to as 'Maama', was that boy.
He was a shrewd businessman who later morphed into a veteran politician who could pull strings behind the scenes but never made it to parliament.
Mr Orwenjo was born in 1948, in the small village of Agoro Oyombe, Ng’iya in Siaya County.
In his early childhood, he attended Kirindo Primary School in South East Alego.
His family, friends and politicians in Nyanza who shared their experiences with Nation.Africa , recalled how Orwenjo would secretly take groundnuts and sweets to school and sell them to teachers and pupils. He would also keep some sugarcane at the school gate to sell to his customers during lunch break.
According to Ms Rosebella Wanyang, Mr Orwenjo’s first wife, and Kevin Orwenjo, one of his sons, his business acumen was evident right from childhood. He would later sharpen this skill in Uganda where he joined his older brother at the tender age of 14.
It was while in Uganda that he laid the foundation of a business empire that would later expand from Uganda to Kenya.
“We clicked immediately and he never wasted time. He came to our home and asked for my hand in marriage and we later moved to Kireka in Uganda in 1969,” she said.
In Uganda, Mr Orwenjo and his first wife expanded their grain business with exports to Kenya.
The 1971 coup in Uganda saw the military, under the command of Major General Idi Amin Dada, overthrow the government of then President Milton Obote.
The coup took place on January 25 while Obote was attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Singapore.
After the coup, Amin, described as the most brutal of rulers, installed himself as president and ruled the nation by decree until 1979.
In 1976, Amin reportedly ordered the killing of hundreds of Kenyans living in Uganda in retaliation for the Kenyan government's alleged involvement in the Operation Entebbe Airport raid.
"When Amin made it difficult for us to stay in Uganda, Orwenjo and I moved back to Kenya and that is how we settled in Siaya," said Ms Wanyang.
John Orwenjo Umidha's widow, Rosebella Wanyang, at their home in Siaya County.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
The businessman constructed his home in Alego Usonga, borrowing heavily from the design of the Baganda Kingdom.
Orwenjo would later venture into the sale of various plastic items popularly known as" Mali Mali", transport industry, bakery and real estate.
This quickly earned him a place among the wealthiest families in Siaya. His business peers at the time were SAMCO Traders and Ochieng of Mwisho Mwisho.
He went on to own properties in Siaya, Kisumu, Bondo, Uganda, Nairobi, Awendo and a beach plot in Mombasa, where he spent most of his December holidays.
Following in the footsteps of his polygamous father, who had eight wives, Mr Orwenjo married five women, the second of whom sadly died. Four are still alive.
He was blessed with 31 children (13 boys and 18 girls), but only 25 are alive.
According to his son Kevin, his father built five similar bungalow houses on his vast land, spicing up his homestead with a mix of Luo tradition and a bit of Ugandan architecture.
One such structure that fits this design was built at the centre of the homestead and is popularly known in Luo tradition as 'Duol'.
In a traditional Luo homestead, the 'duol' would be built between the first wife's hut and the 'kul' (the cattle kraal or pen).
The structure served as a private dwelling for the male head of a polygamous homestead, where he entertained himself and his visitors. It was smaller than the wives' huts.
“This is where my father spent most of his time when he was at home. It did not only serve as our eating point, but also acted as a meeting point for the entire family whenever there was a problem to be discussed,” said Kevin.
"My father didn't mince his words and he never allowed any discussion behind someone's back. Whenever he was annoyed he would remain silent until his temper calmed down," said Kevin.
John Orwenjo Umidha's home in Siaya County.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
He told the Nation.Africa that his father did not continue with his education beyond primary school because at that time, priority was given only to older children. Mr Orwenjo was among the younger children.
This bias was perhaps what drove the late Orwenjo to ensure that all his children received proper education.
"We have lawyers, engineers, doctors, teachers, accountants and business persons in our family," said Kevin beaming.
In 2012, however, Mr Orwenjo enrolled and completed a course in governance and leadership after reports that those who wanted to contest for ward representative seats had to have a certificate.
Orwenjo's educational background was a source of ridicule for some of his critics in politics, but it also brought out his humorous side, which often left the crowd in stitches when he took to the podium.
“Orwenjo used to joke that 'people say that I'm not educated yet it was only the other day that I was at Ng'iya Girls (Ng'iya Girls High School) here'. The crowds would burst out laughing,” said Mr William Wayodi, a close friend of the late Orwenjo.
He also recalled how the former mayor visited Denmark and people wondered how he communicated and convinced investors to initiate water projects in Siaya.
"People said that I'm not learned but that didn't stop me from uttering the word water for the investors to understand that my people needed water back home. I said it and water was brought to Siaya," said Mr Wayodi, imitating Mr Orwenjo.
Mr Wayodi explained that Orwenjo never read newspapers, claiming that the ODM leader he so idolised did so on his behalf.
His popular nickname was "Maama", which Mr Wayodi said came from his philanthropic nature.
"Being a politician, Orwenjo would go on a meet-the-people tour and every time he encountered a group of people, he would dish out cash while chanting Maama. That's how the name stuck," said Mr Wayodi.
Mr Orwenjo was introduced to politics by former minister and Alego Usonga MP Oloo Aringo. They were together in Kanu before Mr Aringo joined Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's Ford Kenya.
Mr Wayodi, who was one of Mr Orwenjo's closest friends, described him as a firm, generous and selfless leader.
He also believed in accounting for every coin spent and was also a big saver, ploughing money back into investments.
He was a councillor for Mjini Ward (now Township Ward) and served two terms as Siaya Town Mayor between 2003 and 2007.
"During his tenure as mayor, he is remembered for improving waste collection in the town system by replacing carts pulled by donkeys with pick-ups and tractors. He also constructed the Siaya County headquarters building," said Kevin.
Ker (chairman) of the Luo Council of Elders, Mzee Odungi Randa, recalls how the politician played a major role in the formation of the National Democratic Party (NDP).
“He was in Kanu while I was in the opposition, but despite the difference in party affiliations our friendship and bond remained strong,” said Mr Randa.
“Orwenjo together with the likes of Joel Ochieng amassed massive wealth from Uganda. They were brilliant businessmen who came back and transformed Siaya,” said Mr Randa.
Earlier in the day, he had driven to Bondo town to inspect some of his projects and later went to organise Holy Communion ahead of his late father's anniversary.
"My father had no complications. It was a normal day and he came home in the evening. It was not until midnight that a security guard came to alert us that Mzee was motionless in the washroom," said Kevin.
He died exactly two months after burying his son Evans and just one day before the 39th anniversary of his father Zablon Umidha's death.
The late Umidha died on September 13, 1985.
The coincidences do not end there. His death came five days after that one of his closest friends and fellow politician, Omondi Oludhe, who died on September 8, 2024.
Oludhe founded the National Democratic Movement Party at the advent of multiparty politics. In 1994, he handed over the party to Raila Odinga who had quit Ford Kenya at the height of a power struggle with former Vice President Kijana Wamalwa.
Mr Odinga later used the NDP to relaunch his political career, giving the party clout in Nyanza. This catapulted it into a major opposition party after it fielded popular candidates who were re-elected in the 1997 General Election.
