Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga has revealed his secrets to maintaining a great and healthy lifestyle at 76 years of age, including partaking of the devil’s urine.
In an interview with the Business Daily, Mutunga stated that he keeps in shape by swimming, doing yoga and meditating.
“I played football until I was 42, walk to my meetings sometimes. I also watch what I eat because if you exercise and you are not watching what you eat, it is not balanced.
“I also partake of the devil’s urine, but you know, in moderation,” he started admitting that he liked red wine.
Mutunga’s Childhood and Youth
Born in 1947, Mutunga stated that his career, beliefs and virtues were shaped by his childhood.
He narrated how he grew up in a warm and loving community where the rich helped the poor and the grazing field and watering hole were shared.
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According to Mutunga, his love for justice, equality and equity began with the fight against chiefs who harassed his community during colonialism.
“When my father could not afford school fees, the community came in, and that’s how I went to Strathmore University after form four. You could eat Mangos and Cassavas from anybody’s farm.
“I always tell people that my politics was shaped by the community. We came together to protest against the violence of chiefs. We helped each other out, sharing what they had,” he stated.
His great sense of fashion, he noted, was greatly influenced by his father who was a tailor. His father, he noted, made his school uniforms and casual outfits.
“He was very innovative, even with our casual clothes. I would sit with him while he was doing the tailoring and with time, got involved in that work,” he narrated.
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Mutunga’s Encounter with Former President Daniel Moi
The former Chief Justice narrated his encounter with the late Daniel Moi, adding that it was a somewhat uncomfortable experience.
Additionally, Mutunga recounted that Moi sent Professor Goeffrey Moriaso Maloiy from the University of Nairobi with word that he wanted to see him.
“Moi did not detain us. Our detentions were mainly spearheaded by the former Attorney General Charles Njojo. I was taken aback. He was an old guy, an elder, what could he do to me?
“I went to Kabarnet Gardens. Lee Njiru, Maloiy and others were present. The meeting was bizarre because I don’t know what signal he gave them, but as soon as tea was served, everybody stood up and left me alone with Moi,” he stated.
Moreover, he added that Moi then treated him to some goat ribs and he left later in the evening.
“The last thing I saw was a man who was alone because they were lighting a fire for him as I left. I thought, oh my God, this old man is so lonely. He will sit by the fire alone?” added Mutunga.
Who is Willy Mutunga
Willy Mutunga is a Kenyan lawyer, intellectual, reform activist, and former Commonwealth Special Envoy to the Maldives.
Mutunga is a holder of a Doctorate degree in Jurisprudence from Osgoode Hall law School at York University in Canada.
Subsequently, he obtained both his Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Master of Laws degrees from the University of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania in 1971 and 1974 respectively.
Moreover, Mutunga joined the University of Nairobi as a lecturer in the Faculty of Law in October 1974 where he also served as the secretary-general of the University Staff Union from April 1979 until July 1980.
While at the University of Nairobi, he was detained for 16 months in 1983 for his activism. In June 2011, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Kenya. He serves as Kenya’s thirteenth Chief Justice between 2011 and 2015.
Between 2004 and 2011, Dr. Mutunga wrote a column in the Sunday Nation newspaper under the pen name of Cabral Pinto.
