After completing his O Levels, he was ready to forfeit family life and swear to the oath of celibacy.
Unfortunately, a life changing health condition gave him no choice but to abandon his life-time dream.
He was diagnosed with epilepsy.
“I was told I couldn’t continue because of the nature of the illness. I became heavily epileptic. I was told the condition was irreversible. In priesthood, you have to celebrate mass, so you can imagine of a priest getting a seizure during mass, it can’t work.”
But that did not discourage him.
He ventured into play writing and staged winning episodes, a passion he used to critic failed systems.
Omtatah won local and international recognition for various plays such as Luanda Magere and Chains of junkdom.
His political play, ‘Voice of the People’ in 1991 which he featured Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai became a controversy under former President Daniel arap Moi’s government which was accused of mistreating her persistence in saving public land.
Demonstrations generally involve crowds of people, but for Omtatah, they can be a one man show like he does.
In January 2008, he shocked bystanders when he chained himself at the Nairobi Police Headquarters clutching on a rosary while accusing police for ‘killing’ people during the Post Election Violence.
Former Education Minister Sam Ongeri tasted the wrath and uniqueness of Omtatah’s chains when he got locked up in his Jogoo House office.
In 2011, he let his tongue loose when he told a magistrate who was presiding over a case involving him and other activists not to allow herself to be used like a condom.
The activist won a petition in which he had challenged the Kenya National School and Colleges Drama Festival for disqualifying Butere Girls High School from presenting its play ‘Shackles of Doom’, a play that was depicting high levels of corruption in Kenya.
Omtatah has been enjoined or has in his own capacity filed many cases against big companies evading taxes and public officers violating the constitution or involved in corruption.
But what drives his zeal to intervene in risky high profile cases?
“I have conviction that this country can be better and that conviction overrides any other concerns I may have. Poverty is Kenya’s biggest problem. I want to see this country develop.”
To restore lives of downtrodden Kenyans, the activist believes corruption has to be eliminated.
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