OKIYA OMTATAH
DATE OF BIRTH | November 30, 1964 |
GENDER | Male |
OCCUPATION | Politician |
Biography
Okiya Omtatah is the Senator for Busia County, having been elected in Kenya’s 2022 general elections. He is also a prominent Kenyan human rights activist and a professional engineer.
Omtatah was vying with little-known the National Reconstruction Alliance (NRA) and defeated ODM’s Hillary Itela who garnered 59,276 votes.
The senator has always been at the forefront of challenging unconstitutional decisions in court. So far, he has sued over one thousand persons and made as many appearances as possible in Kenyan courts than any other Kenyan.
In November 2024, Okiya Omtatah announced that he was considering vying for president and challenging the incumbent President William Ruto.
Okiya Omtatah Education Background
The activist joined St. Pauls’s Secondary School for forms one and two. However, he was later transferred to St. Peters School in Mukumu in 1981 for his Form 3 and 4.
At St. Peters, Omtatah excelled in his O-level exams and was subsequently admitted to Forms 5 and 6 at the same school, completing his high school education in 1983.
Afterwards, he was admitted to The University of Nairobi for a bachelor’s degree in commerce.
Omtatah’s assertiveness emerged early on when he turned down an offer to study commerce at the University of Nairobi, choosing instead to enrol at St. Augustine in Mabanga, Bungoma, where he pursued a Diploma in Philosophy.
Activism
Omtatah’s activism began during his school years, where he discovered his passion for advocacy when students were given opportunities to voice their concerns to teachers.
Okiya’s passion for engineering drove him to enrol at Kenya Polytechnic, where he pursued Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, ultimately earning a diploma in the field.
Networth
Okiya Omtatah is described as frugal saving most of his Ksh1 million per month salary.
Other Details
While studying for the priesthood, Okiya Omtatah sustained a brain injury that led to epilepsy, forcing him to abandon his religious training.
His health deteriorated to the point where he was hospitalized at Aga Khan Hospital and diagnosed with grand mal epilepsy, a permanent condition that made it impossible for him to continue his path to priesthood.
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