Willis Otieno: Jimi Wanjigi's Running Mate Who Is Kenya's Biggest Celebrity Now

Otieno would make his first instance in setting the country alight in a setting whereby lawyers were fighting tooth and nail for enough seconds to convince the seven judges in making their judgement

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Sep 3, 2022 - 08:08 Updated: Sep 3, 2022 - 08:11
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Willis Otieno: Jimi Wanjigi's Running Mate Who Is Kenya's Biggest Celebrity Now
Lawyer Willis Evans Otieno making his case in defense of Raila Odinga's presidential election petition at the Supreme Court. /ZAKHEEM RAJAN

Lawyer Willis Otieno was before the Supreme Court fiasco during the two-day hearing Safina Party leader Jimi Wanjigi's running mate and nothing more than a man whose profile was not known to the public.

Otieno, during the submission of Raila Odinga's legal team at the apex court on Wednesday, August 31 raised concerns with regard to the stoppage of tallying of the presidential results following the August 9, 2022, general elections.

On the day of the declaration of the results, both president-elect, William Ruto and Azimio la Umoja leader, Raila Odinga, were called by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati as Kenyans waited with bated breath to find out the winner. Otieno also revealed that the results from the remaining constituencies were not announced as before.

However, he would make his first instance in setting the country alight in a setting whereby lawyers were fighting tooth and nail for enough seconds to convince the seven judges in making their judgement, out of the many folk tales to Biblical citations and William Shakespeare's literary works that the advocates used in their arsenal, much to the delight of the judges led by Chief Justice Martha Koome.

Side by side image of Justice Smokin Wanjala and lawyer Willis Otieno. /FILE

"My niece calls it 'piki piki ponki, paka mielo disco'. He (Chebukati) called both of them and he was the only person who knew who the disco would land on.

"It could have been either William Ruto or Raila Odinga. It fell on Ruto and he says 'voila, you're the president'." he said, while sweating profusely like a player on a football field during a high-octane match.

Otieno took fault with Chebukati's communication with the two presidential candidates and allegedly deciding on Ruto as the winner by way of the child's game, which comes from a rhyme that narrates the tragic story of three girls and their donkey and written by William Shakespeare.

"Is that how we intend to choose our national executive? We've reduced it to a childhood game of 'piki piki ponki, paka mielo disco (the cat dancing in the disco)'," he added.

Justice Smokin Wanjala however cut him short by warning him that the language he used in his submissions was non-existent to the apex court, saying "I did give you brotherly advice, be careful. That language appears to be alien in this court."

The 'piki piki ponki' sentiments by Otieno turned him into an overnight celebrity and in a matter of hours, a song was reworked with his words and depending how the apex court rules, could be an instant hit across the country, as these videos would tell you:

@motifdidon ????????piki piki ponki song #supremecourt #kenya #kenyantiktok #fypage #foryou #motifdidonchallenge #motifdidon #benawamalines ♬ original sound - MotifDiDon

Otieno was back again with an even more hilarious take on the four Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners who had blown the whistle regarding the malpractices at the IEBC, likening them to an alligator who lives near other crocodiles and hence knows where each reptile is.

"When an alligator comes out of the water and tells you the crocodile is sick, do you doubt him? When commissioners say our processes are opaque, do you doubt them? Do not shy away from indicting Chebukati for his transgressions," he said.

As though that was not enough, he gave Kenyans another bout of memes to use in reference to IEBC contracting Venezuelans and accusations by his fellow lawyer, Julie Soweto, that one Jose Camargo had breached the system.

While likening him to the plumber who is hired to carry out renovations on sanitisation, Otieno believed that a plumber who is fixing your bathroom while you are in the shower is committing a sexual offence.

"We were told Camargo is like a plumber maintaining the system. Once a plumber has fixed your bathroom when you are showering if you find him you tell him “get behind me satan" as Jesus said when the devil entered Peter. A plumber who is in your bathroom when you are showering is a sexual offender," he said.

Willis Otieno Profile & Jimi Wanjigi

Otieno was selected by Wanjigi as his presidential running mate before they were barred from contesting by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on grounds of failing to meet the required threshold.

"He was an easy choice because I know with him we are in safe hands. He is a great young man, a diligent professional and a great friend who has had my back. He represents Kenyans who are aged 40 years and below," Wanjigi explained his choice of Otieno.

Otieno attended Moi University between 2002 and 2007, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws degree before proceeding to the Kenya School of Law and graduating with a diploma in law. Between 2014 and 2016, he attended the University of Nairobi graduating with a Master of Law degree.

Willis Otieno with Safina Party leader, Jimi Wanjigi. /FILE

He began his career as a Program Officer at the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya Section where he served between January 2009 and December 2011. Between January 2011 and November 2013, he served as an Elections and democracy expert and Senior Program Officer at the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa.

The city lawyer was the head of Raila’s Presidential Campaign Secretariat in 2017. He was also an adjunct Lecturer at the Kenya School of Law. He also served as a Junior Fellow at the state university of New York.

He has also served as a Program Officer at Transparency International. Since January 2013 to date, he has been the Principal Partner in charge of litigation, governance, public law, elections, constitutional and administrative law, and political processes at Otieno Ogola & Company Advocates.

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