Kelechi "KC" Ohaebosim (born December 27, 1978) is a Nigerian-American politician. He has served as a Democratic member for the 89th district in the
Kansas House of Representatives since 2017. Ohaebosim's district comprises portions of
Wichita, Kansas.
Early life and education
Ohaebosim was born on December 27, 1978, the son of Nigeria-born Dr. Linus Ohaebosim. His father, who delivered over a thousand babies over a 41-year period, had completed part of his residency in
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
before establishing his career in Wichita. KC Ohaebosim's mother is a
registered nurse
A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...
. He has four siblings.
KC Ohaebosim received his early education in Nigeria, and later attended
Wichita High School
Wichita East High School, known locally as "East", is a public Secondary education in the United States, secondary school in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is operated by Wichita USD 259 school district. The centrally located school's campus ...
. He went on to receive his undergraduate education at
Wichita State University.
As a college student, he was a member of the
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved int ...
fraternity, an
African-American fraternity. In 2005, he graduated with a degree in business administration from
Newman University in Wichita.
Political career
Candidacies for the Kansas State Senate
In 2008, Ohaebosim unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the
Kansas Senate, losing the Democratic primary to
Oletha Faust-Goudeau
Oletha A. Goudeau (August 5, 1959) is a Democratic member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 29th district (central/northeast Wichita) since 2009—the first African-American woman in the Kansas Senate. , who won with over 70% of the vote. Ohaebosim filed for a rematch against Faust-Goueau in the 2012 election. He lost the rematch by approximately 78.4% to 21.5%.
Kansas House of Representatives
He was elected to the
Kansas House of Representatives in the 2016 election, replacing
Roderick Houston. In 2017, he was among the legislators who voted to override Governor
Sam Brownback's veto of a tax package designed to fix Kansas' budget shortfall. He was reelected in 2018 without opposition.
References
External links
Vote Smart
1978 births
Living people
Democratic Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives
21st-century American legislators
American people of Igbo descent
African-American state legislators in Kansas
Wichita State University alumni
Newman University, Wichita alumni
21st-century African-American politicians
20th-century African-American politicians
Alpha Phi Alpha members
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