Loved and hated in equal measure, former Rongo MP Dalmas Otieno has been one of the dominant political forces in Luo Nyanza since the late 1980s.
However, the outcome of the August 8 elections has now left the former Presidents Moi and Kibaki eras Minister fighting for his political life after losing to his long-time political nemesis Paul Abuor.
Abuor first edged Otieno during the ODM nominations in April before doing it again in August 8.
Otieno was defending his seat as an independent candidate.
The towering Makerere University-trained Economist was first elected to parliament in 1988 on a KANU ticket and was immediately appointed to the Cabinet by then President Daniel arap Moi and started raffling feathers with the then opposition chief Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
However, he lost the seat to Ochilo Ayacko in 1997 before losing again in 2002 to the same opponent.
Third time lucky, he recaptured the seat in 2007 and became a key member of the ODM team that entered into a coalition agreement with PNU to form a unity government.
In 2013, he easily defended his seat only for him to fallout with the ODM leadership in 2014 even as he vowed to form a new party (Kalausi) to rival ODM.
But in the run to the August 8 polls, Otieno made a u-turn and rejoined the Odinga-led party in the hope that the electorate would give him a second chance which was not to be as he was floored in the nomination.
At 72 years, Otieno's checkered political career could as good as sealed.