Ben Okello Oluoch, also known as Ben Oluoch Okello and B.O.O.,Migori Senator Ben Oluoch Okello succumbs to cancer
by Hillary Orinde, in ''

The Standard The Standard may refer to: Entertainment * The Standard (band), an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon * ''The Standard'' (novel), a 1934 novel by the Austrian writer Alexander Lernet-Holenia * ''The Standard'' (Tommy Flanagan album), 1980 * ...

''; published June 19, 2018; retrieved April 25, 2020 (1963This man Ben Oluoch Okello, the fallen Migori senator
by Justus Ochieng' and Elisha Otieno; in ''

Daily Nation The ''Daily Nation'' is a Kenyan newspaper. It was founded in 1958 and is published in Nairobi. History The ''Daily Nation'' was started in the year 1958 as a Swahili weekly called ''Taifa'' by the Englishman Charles Hayes. It was bought in 1 ...

''; published June 19, 2018; retrieved April 25, 2020 or 1966PARLIAMENT OF KENYA: THE SENATE: THE HANSARD: Tuesday, 19th June, 2018
at the

Parliament of Kenya The Parliament of Kenya is the bicameral legislature of Kenya. It is based at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi and consists of two houses. The upper house is the Senate, and the lower house is the National Assembly. See also * Politics of K ...

; retrieved April 25, 2020 in

Rongo, Kenya Rongo or Rongo town is located in the southwestern part of Kenya in Migori County, Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, K ...

— June 19, 2018, in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

),Migori Senator Ben Oluoch Okello dies at MP Shah, Nairobi
in ''

''; published June 19, 2018; retrieved April 25, 2020 was a Kenyan radio presenter and politician who represented

Migori County Migori County is a counties of Kenya, county in the former Nyanza Province of southwestern Kenya. It borders Homa Bay County to the north, Kisii County to the northeast, Narok County to the southeast, Tanzania to the west and south, and Lake Vic ...

in the

Senate of Kenya The Senate of the Republic of Kenya ( swahili: ''Seneti ya Jamhuri ya Kenya)'' is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya, along with the National Assembly. The Senate was first established as part of Kenya's 1963 Constitution. Af ...

from 2017 to 2018.

Broadcasting career

In 1983, Oluoch studied journalism at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication in

South B South B is the name of a Division of the sub-county of Starehe in Nairobi, Kenya and the name of a "sub-location" of Mukuru Nyayo within the Division. The 2019 Kenya Census gives a population of 102,441 for South B Division and 34,216 for the sub- ...

. He earned a bachelor's degree in radio broadcasting from the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

in 2013, and at the time of his death was pursuing a master's degree. In 1988, he began working at the

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) is the state-run media organisation of Kenya. It broadcasts in English and Swahili, as well as in most local languages of Kenya. The corporation was launched as a radio service in 1928 when Kenya was a B ...

. In 2003, he left the KBC for Royal Media Service's Ramogi-FM, where he hosted a 5-hour morning program, ''Kogwen gi BOO'' (

Luo Luo or LUO may refer to: Luo peoples and languages *Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa **Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. *** Luol ...

for "Early morning with BOO"). He continued as a broadcaster until 2017.

Political career

In the

2017 Kenyan general election General elections were held in Kenya on 8 August 2017 to elect the President, members of the National Assembly and Senate. They coincided with the 2017 Kenyan local elections which elected Governors and representatives in the devolved governme ...

, Oluoch represented the

Orange Democratic Movement The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is a centre-left political party in Kenya. It is the successor of a grassroots people's movement that was formed during the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum campaign. This movement separated in Augus ...

, and succeeded Wilfred Machage. As a Senator, Oluoch served on multiple committees, including Health; Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries; and National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration. Lusaka: Senator Ben Oluoch Okello was an extraordinary leader
by Daniel Psirmoi; at ''

''; published June 19, 2018; retrieved April 25, 2020 However, his activity was limited, as he began experiencing health problems shortly after being sworn in, and "spen(t) most of the time in and out of hospital, away from his work station".

Personal life

In March 2018, Oluoch responded to online rumors of his death by stating that, despite his recent ailments, he was "still as fit as a fiddle"; he also threatened legal action against those involved.Migori Senator to sue culprits behind fake news of his death
by Elisha Otieno; in ''

''; published March 23, 2018; retrieved April 25, 2020 In June 2018, he died of

throat cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...

. Oluoch was a

polygamist Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...

, and had four wives (of whom two survived him) and at least 25 children.Late Migori Senator leaves behind 25 children ‘and many others’
by Chad Kitundu, in ''

''; published June 21, 2018; retrieved April 25, 2020 He was also an

Adventist Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Willi ...

.BOO: Radio man whose legacy cannot be silenced by death
by Omwa Ombara, in ''

''; published July 15, 2018; retrieved April 25, 2020

References

External links

Official site
at the

(via

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including websites, software applic ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Oluoch, Ben Kenyan radio presenters Members of the Senate of Kenya 2018 deaths Deaths from throat cancer University of Nairobi alumni Orange Democratic Movement politicians