Patricia Atieno, the widow of the late Cabinet Minister Dalmas Otieno, brought light moments during her husband’s funeral service after openly admitting that her marriage had its fair share of challenges—especially because of his charm and popularity with women.
Speaking on Tuesday, September 30, Patricia chose humour over tears, recounting their journey together while highlighting both the joys and struggles of their long union.
She took mourners back to their teenage years at Rapogi Secondary School, where they first met. “I married Dalmas in 1965. He was the boys’ head prefect and I was the girls’ head prefect. I was very beautiful, and in our culture a woman with a gap between her teeth is considered especially attractive,” she recalled, drawing laughter.
Patricia described her husband as a handsome man whose good looks constantly attracted attention. “No woman could pass without turning her head to look at him. I married Dalmas, a very handsome man who gave me problems with women,” she said, adding that she relied on her Christian faith to remain strong.
In one of her most candid revelations, she disclosed that she had lived under the same roof with her husband’s third wife, Dorothy, for over 14 years. “I gave them a room in my house. Until she had her twins, she stayed with us, and even today she still lives with me. People asked how I could accept it, but I preferred having her close rather than my husband parking his car at her rented place in Rongo,” she said, sparking murmurs and laughter.
Her heartfelt yet humorous eulogy painted Dalmas Otieno not only as a political giant but also as a family man whose life was filled with love, challenges, and resilience.
By Kenyans