Hon. Dalmas Otieno, EGH is the Vice Chairperson of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission having been nominated by Public Service Commission. He was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Rongo in 1988, and retained the seat until 2017. He served as Minister for Industrialization from 1988 to 1991, Minister for Manpower Planning and Employment (1991), Minister for Transport & Communications (1991-1996), and served as Minister for Public Service from 2008 to 2013. Hon. Otieno also had the honours to serve as Chairman of the African Ministers of Transport & Communications (1994-1996), and Chairman of the Establishment Committee of RASCOM (1994).
Hon. Otieno has served in various Boards and Parliamentary Committees including; Electricity Regulatory Board (1993-1994), Parliamentary Sessional Committee (1993-1996), Parliamentary Public Investment Committee (1996-1997), and Inter-Parties Parliamentary Group (IPPG) Committee on Legal and Constitution Reforms (1997).
As the Minister for Public Service, Hon. Otieno spearheaded the establishment of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission. He is also credited with the transformation of the Kenya Institute of Administration (KIA) into Kenya School of Government, a Center of Excellence that offers management training, research, consultancy and advisory services to the Public Sector. It was also during this time he moved retirement age to 60 years; developed the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database (IPPD), Integrated Records Management System (IRMIS), Government Human Resource Information System (GHRIS), Framework for preparation of Schemes of Service, and Management Guides on Human Resource Planning and Policy Architecture (HRPPA); and established the Civil Servants Medical Scheme; established Training Revolving Fund among others.
He holds a Bachelor of Science (Applied Economics) from Makerere University, Uganda. He has also undertaken Post Graduate Courses in Economics, Insurance and Finance at the University of Nairobi. Hon. Otieno has the following professional qualifications: Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, London; Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute by Examination (FCII); and Chartered Insurance Practitioner.