[2] He completed his undergraduate studies at Uganda's Makerere University, where he was awarded a first class honours degree in political science.

He thereafter proceeded to his graduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Chicago, where he obtained an MA and a PhD in political science in 1977.

He was a member of the Kenyan Senate representing Kisumu County from March 4, 2013 to August 8, 2017 having been elected on an ODM (Orange Democratic Movement) Party ticket.

[3] Nyong'o is credited for actively engaging in the movement for Kenya's second liberation during the previous KANU regime.

In 2023, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Nyong’o to his Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments, co-chaired by Pilar Cancela Rodríguez and Fatimatou Abdel Malick.