Former MP eyes government help in breach of privacy case

When he retired from active politics and public service, former Alego Usonga MP Otieno Mak’Onyango settled at Kibiko in Kajiado County.

Here, he put up a mansion near the deep slope of Ngong where he has lived for more than a decade.

In the neighbourhood, there are other mansions spread in the lush green environment. The environment is natural and peaceful.

When we caught up with the former MP at his home, he was not enjoying the beautifully manicured lawn in front of his house. Instead, Mr Mak’Onyango was resting in the house on a hot afternoon.

And as he walks towards the gate, it is evident that challenges associated with old age are taking a toll on him. He takes a moment to relive the past years when he wielded power.

“I have been unwell for some time now and to add salt to injury, my privacy has been invaded, that is why I can no longer rest outside my compound,” the former MP says as he struggles to settle on a chair.

He adds: “For several months, now I have not enjoyed my deserved peace. My neighbour has built a flat in front of my compound which goes against the building code and is in breach of my privacy rights.”

In December last year, Mak’Onyango says, he filed a complaint with the National Construction Authority (NCA) over a breach of privacy by the neighbour setting up a flat in front of his house.

Suspended

Following his complaints, the authority’s staff visited the site and suspended the construction.

On December 19, NCA Executive Director Maurice Akech confirmed they had received the former MP’s complaint.

“The letter is already in our possession and we are working on it,” Akech responded in the mail.

However, the former MP said, about seven months after the construction was stopped, the project resumed without any explanation. He says he wishes someone explained to him why the construction was allowed to continue.

In a letter dated November 30 to NCA, Mak’Onyango said the authority’s officials who visited the site did not tell him anything.

“I don’t know what they discussed with my neighbour; they kept me in the dark. I do not understand why they stopped the construction then again allowed it. I am asking for the government’s intervention.” 

The ex-MP said he visited NCA headquarters to follow up on the case but nothing was done. “I found it strange that after the officials visited the site, they never shared any report with me,” Mr Mak’Onyango said. 

He added: “Following my visit to NCA offices and my follow-ups, an official from the Ongata-Rongai office visited the site on November 7, 2023 and promised to furnish me with information on the action taken. However, all they have done is take me in circles. What is happening is unfair, not just to me and my family, but to other Kenyans as well,” he added.