Exhibit 99.1

[LOGO]  ONEOK
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Financial News


August 5, 2002                                Contact:     Weldon Watson
                                                           918-588-7158


           ONEOK Announces Debt Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation

         Tulsa, Oklahoma - ONEOK, Inc., (NYSE:OKE) today launched a tender offer
for its $40,000,000 aggregate principal amount of outstanding 8.44% Senior Notes
due January 31, 2004 and its $24,000,000 aggregate principal amount of
outstanding 8.32% Senior Notes due July 31, 2007. The company is also soliciting
consents to proposed amendments to the agreements for both sets of Notes that
would effectively eliminate most of their restrictive covenants.

         The purpose of the tender offer and consent solicitation is to acquire
any and all outstanding Notes and to obtain the consents to the proposed
amendments. ONEOK continues to evaluate its alternatives with respect to the
possible repurchase of ONEOK stock from Westar Industries (formerly Western
Resources). The tender should not be interpreted as a decision to purchase or
not purchase the shares.

         The tender offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on
August 20, 2002, unless extended or earlier terminated. The consent solicitation
also will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 20, 2002, unless
extended or earlier terminated.

         The tender offer is not conditioned upon the success of the consent
solicitation and the consent solicitation is not conditioned upon the results of
the tender offer. Holders may tender Notes without delivering consents or
deliver consents without tendering Notes, or they may elect to do both.

         Assuming all conditions to the tender offer and consent solicitation
are satisfied, a holder of 8.44% Notes who elects to tender those Notes in the
tender offer would receive $1,088.75 per $1,000 principal amount, excluding
accrued interest, and a holder of 8.32% Notes who elects to tender 8.32% Notes
in the tender offer would receive $1,052.00 per $1,000 principal amount,
excluding accrued interest.



         Holders of 8.44% Notes who elect to tender their Notes in the tender
offer would receive $1,058.75 per $1,000 principal amount, excluding accrued
interest; holders of 8.32% Notes who elect to tender their Notes in the tender
offer would receive $1,022.00 per $1,000 principal amount, excluding accrued
interest.

If consents are obtained from the holders of not less than 66-2/3% in aggregate
principal amount of each of the 8.44% Notes the 8.32% Notes and the other
conditions of the consent solicitation are satisfied, the Company will effect
the amendments and will pay a 3% consent fee ($30.00 per $1,000 principal
amount) to each holder, whether or not the holder delivered a consent.

         The purchase price for Notes tendered pursuant to the tender offer will
be payable promptly after validly tendered Notes are accepted for payment
pursuant to the offer. The consent fee will be payable promptly after the
Company receives the requisite consents from the holders of each series of Notes
and the other conditions to the consent solicitation are satisfied.

         The detailed terms and conditions of the tender offer and consent
solicitation are contained in the offer to purchase and consent solicitation
statement dated August 5, 2002. Holders of the Notes can obtain copies of this
statement and related material from the information agent for the tender offer
and consent solicitation, D.F. King & Co., Inc., at 800-431-9633 (toll free) or
212-269-5550 (collect). UBS Warburg LLC ("UBS") is acting as Dealer Manager for
the transaction. Questions regarding the tender offer and consent solicitation
can be addressed to UBS at 203-719-8035 (collect) or 203-719-1575 (collect).

         Consummation of the tender offer and consent solicitation, and payment
of the purchase price for Notes tendered pursuant to the tender offer or the
consent fee pursuant to the consent solicitation are subject to various
conditions that are described in the offer.

         This announcement is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of
an offer to sell the Notes. The tender offer and consent solicitation are only
made pursuant to the offer to purchase and consent solicitation statement.

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ONEOK, Inc. is a diversified energy company involved primarily in oil and gas
production, natural gas processing, gathering, storage and transmission in the
mid-continent areas of the United States. The company's energy marketing and
trading operations provide service to customers in 28 states. The company is
also the largest natural gas distributor in Kansas and Oklahoma, operating as
Kansas Gas Service and Oklahoma Natural Gas Company, serving 1.4 million
customers.

      For information about ONEOK, Inc. visit the Web site: www.oneok.com.

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