Joseph Martin Shikuku Oyondi (December 25, 1932– August 22, 2012) was a Kenyan politician. Spouse: Dolorosa Regina Elizabeth Achieng Shikuku: born 12 June 1942- Died 5 December 2004. Children: Sylvano Madanji Shikuku: Both 16 November 1966, Emmanuel Noel Osyle Shikuku, Born 26 December 1968, Lucie Awor Shikuku, Born 30 June 1971 and Martina Maende Shikuku, Born 26 January 1974-Died 4 November 2016. Joseph Martin Shikuku Oyondi, was born on Christmas day 1932 in Magadi Kenya. His father was John Osule Oyondi and he was as married to Lucia Andeche in the Catholic church in 1929. They had seven children. Shikuku was the second born.

Early life

Shikuku attended St Peters Mumias boys primary school, a Catholic school in western Kenya. After completing his primary education he joined St. Peters Seminary for secondary education with the intention of becoming a Catholic priest. This was not to be as he apparently fell in love and left the seminary.

Career

He briefly worked with the Caltex oil company in Kenya then Kenya and then East African Railways before joining politics at a young age of 19 on 18 October 1952. At the age of 28, he was the youngest member of the Kenyan delegation to Nairobi_People's_Convention_Party_(NPCP),_becoming_its_Secretary-General_soon_afterwards._He_later_resigned_to_join__the_Kenya_African_Democratic_Union.html" ;"title="Nairobi People’s Convention Party">Nairobi People's Convention Party (NPCP), becoming its Secretary-General soon afterwards. He later resigned to join the Kenya African Democratic Union">Nairobi People’s Convention Party">Nairobi People's Convention Party (NPCP), becoming its Secretary-General soon afterwards. He later resigned to join the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU) as a youth leader along with future President Daniel Moi and Ronald Ngala. Shikuku was elected the Butere Constituency MP in 1963 on KADU ticket. His party merged soon later with Kenya African National Union KANU, the only legal party during the subsequent Kenyan single-party era.The Standard, August 22, 2012
Long serving politician Martin Shikuku dies
/ref> Shikuku was the last member to cross the floor of the House to join the one government after the Merger of Kanu and Kadu. He retained the Butere seat in 1969 was appointed Assistant Minister in the Office of the Vice-President and Home Affairs by the President

Jomo Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous ...

. Later Shikuku was detained by Kenyatta after the minister sarcastically referred the KANU government as "dead". Shikuku was released in 1978 when Daniel arap Moi took over as the President upon Kenyatta's death. Shikuku recaptured the Butere parliamentary seat the next year and was appointed Assistant Minister for Livestock Development. He retained his seat at the 1983 elections but lost in 1988. Kenyan single-party system started to crack in the early 1990s. He was a founding member of

Forum for the Restoration of Democracy Forum for the Restoration of Democracy was a political party and a movement against the one-party system in Kenya. It was founded in August 1991 by Oginga Odinga and others. However, it split before the 1992 General elections, the first multiparty ...

alongside

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga (October 1911 – 20 January 1994) was a Luo (Kenya), Luo chieftain who became a prominent figure in Kenya's struggle for independence. He later served as Kenya's first Vice-President of Kenya, Vice-President, and t ...

. The forum soon split, and Odinga formed the Ford-Kenya party, while Shikuku Ford Asili with

Kenneth Matiba Kenneth Stanley Njindo Matiba (1 June 1932 – 15 April 2018) was a Kenyan politician and an activist for democracy. He came in at second place in the 1992 presidential election. In November 2007, he announced that he would stand as a president ...

. The 1992 general election were the first multiparty election in Kenya since the 1960s. Matiba was the Ford Asili presidential candidate, while Shikuku recaptured the Butere MP seat on Ford Asili ticket. Matiba later left Ford Asili and at the 1997 elections Shikuku was the party's presidential candidate. He did not get many votes and also lost his parliamentary seat. He died on August 22, 2012 at the Texas Cancer Centre in Hurlingham,

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

.Daily Nation, August 22, 2012
Veteran politician Martin Shikuku dead
/ref> aged 79 Capital FM, August 22, 2012
Veteran politician Martin Shikuku dies at 79
/ref>

Personal life

Shikuku was married to;Dolarosa Elizabeth Regina Achieng on 24 September 1966 and they had four children; Sylvano Madanji Shikuku (born 16 November 1966), Emmanuel Noel Osyle Shikuku (born 26 December 1968), Lucia Awor Shikuku (born 30 June 1971), and Martina Maende Shikuku (born 26 January 1974, died 5 November 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shikuku, Martin 2012 deaths Kenya African National Union politicians Forum for the Restoration of Democracy politicians Forum for the Restoration of Democracy – Asili politicians Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) People from Western Province (Kenya) Year of birth uncertain Deaths from cancer in Kenya Candidates for President of Kenya 1932 births