Human Rights Activist, Okiya Omtatah Okoiti, is not a lawyer by profession, but many see him as the country’s public defender due to the number of cases he has filed in the public interest.
His quest for a just society has seen him get into trouble with law enforcers, persevering beatings and lockups. At one point in 2012, he lost four incisors after an attack that was blamed on hired goons.
Omtatah has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award from the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders Kenya and the Working Group on Human Defenders.
In March, the human rights activist filed an appeal before the Judicial Service Commission to have Maraga probed and subsequently ejected over allegations of gross misconduct.
He accused Maraga of interfering with the independence of a judge in a case in which he filed against the government's move to re-advertise the position of the auditor general.
In June, he convinced a three-judge bench consisting of Justices Martha Koome (presiding), Gatembu Kairu and Jamila Mohammed that Kenya Railways failed to comply with procurement laws.
The Court of Appeal declared that the entire Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) contract was illegal.