Dalmas Otieno’s wife says her late husband had problems with women
By David Nthua, October 1, 2025Patricia Atieno, the wife of the late Cabinet Minister Dalmas Otieno, caused a light moment during the funeral service after openly admitting that her husband gave her problems with women.
Speaking on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, as the funeral attendees listened, Patricia chose humour over tears, painting a picture of love, devotion, and the challenges of being married to a man admired by many.
The widow began by taking mourners down memory lane to her teenage years when she first met Dalmas at Rapogi Secondary School. “My husband was many things, a devoted father.
“I married Dalmas in 1965; we were both students at Rapogi. I was on the girls’ side and he was on the boys’ side. He was the head prefect for the boys, and I was the head prefect for the girls. That time I was very beautiful and you know, with Luos, a woman with a gap between her teeth is considered the most beautiful woman,” she said.
A handsome man who attracted trouble
Patricia then admitted that Dalmas’ striking looks often put her in difficult situations.
With laughter spreading across the gathering, she recalled how even strangers could not resist staring at her husband.
“He knew I would be his wife. He instructed two ladies from his place to watch me and be very careful so I do not talk to any man. Whatever I was doing, they were to report to him. We loved each other. I married Dalmas, a very handsome man, who gave me problems with women,” she said.
“He was handsome that no woman could pass without turning her head to look at him. But I played it cool because I am a born-again Christian.”
Living with a co-wife
In one of the most surprising confessions, Patricia disclosed that she had lived peacefully with her husband’s third wife, Dorothy, under the same roof for over a decade.
“I have been living with Dorothy ever since she got married to my husband, for 14 years under one roof. I gave them a room. Until she had her twins, she did not move out; she is still living with me. So many people challenged me to welcome a woman into our house. I did not want him to park his car in Rongo, where Dorothy had rented her house, so I told my husband to bring that woman home. I had a big house,” she said as the crowd erupted in murmurs and laughter.
Patricia’s honest and humorous eulogy offered mourners a lighter perspective on the life of Dalmas Otieno, showing not just the political giant he was, but also the family man who managed to keep two wives under one roof.