Very little is known of John Hezekiah Ougo, the man who sacrificed his Bondo parliamentary seat for veteran politician Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
Ougo who was on his second term, at a time when Oginga was facing ups and downs, including detentions and barrications from vying, tendered his resignation in 1980 to facilitate Oginga's return.
In an interview in 2012 from his home in Asembo, Siaya county, Ougo explained how he defied advises from family and friends who were against his move, saying that he pitied the former Vice President.
"I was not forced to resign for Jaramogi. I was not bribed. I just sympathised with him and opted to sacrifice my political ambitions for the sake of this man whom I believed was going to liberate Kenyans," he was quoted by the Standard.
Oginga had been the area MP since 1963, after which he was banned from vying following a public spat with his former ally and boss President Jomo Kenyatta in Kisumu in 1969.
Kenyatta's successor Daniel Moi oversaw a continuation of his woes, preventing the now opposition figure from vying and placing him under home detention until 1980.
It was later also revealed that Moi had a hand in Ougo's resignation, as it came only a week after he held a meeting with Oginga at the Nakuru State Lodge, proof that he wanted him back on his feet.
Despite making peace with Moi, and being appointed the Chair of Cotton Lint and Marketing Board, Oginga would later blow it again.
He fired shots at the late Kenyatta while addressing a crowd in Mombasa, terming him corrupt and land grabber, making Moi make a U-turn on his decision to rehabilitate the former teacher.
Consequently, he endorsed William Odongo Omamo who had lost to Ougo in 1974 who easily went ahead to win the seat on the ruling KANU party, rendering Ougo's initial sacrifice useless.
It was only in 1992 that Oginga reclaimed his seat, but only served for two years following his death in 1994.
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