Kenya: Omtatah Vows to Continue With Activism Despite Being a Senator

Nairobi — Even though he is an elected official, Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has vowed to keep the flame of activism alive.

In an interview with Citizen Tv on Wednesday, Omtatah discussed his actions as an activist coming from the seminary, becoming a priest was a dream he was adamant about pursuing though it never materialized.

“You know in the seminary they used to tell us that they educate us, but they also form us. So, concern for the wellbeing of other people thrives in me and especially the rule of law,” he stated.

“The power of saying no is something I take seriously, because if only Adam and Eve had said no, you and I would be in paradise, Christ would not have died on the cross.”

Saying no and rejecting what is unjust or undesirable is crucial, in Omtatah’s opinion.

According to him, leaders should uphold the law and reject excesses in order to guarantee equality and fairness in the nation.

“I have always had the urge to say no to a point I was suspended. To say no for me is very important. If I think something is wrong and I reflect on it and I form a clean conscience about it I say no,” he stated. “My activism at large is of saying No to excesses.”

“There is the law so obey the law. If you do against the law, for me I will say no irrespective of who you are,” he said.

Omtatah noted that, despite the fact that resistance requires resources since it is expensive, he supports his own claims and represents them in court on his own because he cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

“In court I draft my own pleadings and I argue them myself; I don’t hire a lawyer because I couldn’t, I am not a lawyer though am bound by the laws of the land and I have to understand that.,” he said.

Okiya Omtatah Okoiti, who many regard as the nation’s top public defender despite not being a lawyer by trade, has brought some of the most significant public interest lawsuits, which have influenced the political and economic landscape.

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