Senator Omtatah: The health condition that made me not become a priest

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah now says that he was close to pursuing a career in priesthood prior to becoming the now famous human rights activist that he has morphed into.

Speaking on Citizen TV's JKLive Show on Wednesday night, Omtatah, 57, opened up on what drew him to the cloth in his younger and more juvenile days.

Having been born into a catholic family, Omtatah told show host Jeff Koinange, he had  a particular affinity for and curiosity in Eastern Orthodox Christianity from a young age.

"I began my life in the village and I was born into a catholic family. I went to the local primary school and I got baptised in the local church where I also did my catechism," he said.

After enrolling for secondary education at St.Paul's Amukura High School, Omtatah would cross paths with missionaries who encouraged him to become a member of the clergy.

" I went to high school at St. Paul's High School, for form one and two, and then I met missionary priests who convinced me to join the seminary to become a catholic priest. So I detoured and I took a long time training to be a catholic priest," he said.

Once done with  his secondary schooling, Omtatah received an admission letter from the University of Nairobi which offered him the opportunity to pursue a bachelor's degree in Commerce but he turned it down noting that his conviction to become a priest had grown stronger during his time in High School.

He instead opted to join St. Augustine school in Mabanga, Bungoma County where he took up a course in philosophy.

"I was admitted to UoN but my priest calling was very strong and I declined to go to the university. I joined St. Augustine's to study philosophy," he said.

Just as he was about to finish his philosophy course, Omtatah started experiencing fits of epilepsy which essentially made it more difficult for him to function optimally.

"I became heavily epileptic which became so bad. Aga Khan hospital could not manage it so I was told that I couldn't be a priest because of what would happen in the event that I got an attack during service," he explained.  

Despite a traditional remedy allegedly curing his ailment, Omtatah says that the condition was the final nail in the coffin for his priesthood aspirations.

"One  time in 1987 when I was playing football I got a fit and somebody on the opposite team approached me and said that his grandfather had taught him how to make some medicines that could treat the condition," he said.

"After consulting my dad, who agreed that I give the remedy a chance I began treatment on December 17, 1987. I only took the medicine for 12 days and I have never had a fit since then. Western medicine however refused to certify me as cured therefore I could not go back to becoming a priest," he said.