This archive report was first published on 19 November 2019.
Lawyer Danstan Omari: From High School Teacher to High-Profile Advocate ¶
When he's not appearing on TV as a political analyst, Lawyer Danstan Omari represents high-profile clients in court. In less than 10 years since he was admitted to the bar, Omari has represented a host of prominent public figures, including Deputy President William Ruto and Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa.
Omari, who represents Marriane Kitany in a divorce case against Meru Senator Mithika Linturi, is the first lawyer to conduct a divorce case live on TV. He sat down for an interview with the Star, where he opened up about his career and journey to being one of Kenya's most-sought-after lawyers.
Omari chose law because he felt he was born to be a lawyer. He developed a passion for law and believes he wanted to pursue it from day one. Although some incidents made him unable to follow the course of justice, he strongly believes he wanted to do law from day one.
As a former high school teacher, Omari doesn't miss teaching. He outgrew teaching but still loves imparting knowledge to young people. He teaches at the Catholic University of East Africa and believes teaching helped him develop skills not available in law, such as philosophy, critical thinking, and sociology.
Omari doesn't think there's ever a dangerous case for an advocate because there's no personal interest in all matters handled. However, some cases end badly, like the Tob Cohen matter, where his client was murdered and dumped in a septic tank. He has dealt with the Linturi-Kitany divorce case and private investigator Jane Mugo's case, where she's against top cops.
Omari charges fees because he doesn't work for free. He has limits and guidelines on how much fees he should charge, but he also does pro bono cases in the children's court. In a week, he handles two to three matters for free, representing kids who don't have school fees or can't get food.
Omari is known for handling family matters, and there's a specific reason for this. As a teacher, he dealt with a lot of family issues and was a counsellor, deputy principal. He got to understand that society can't function without the family unit. After leaving teaching, he became a children's officer and worked with families as a government officer.
Omari works with interesting people in his cases, including a nun and a former magistrate. He came to practice in a different way, bringing life to practice and mentoring. For example, the nun was his student at the university, and he encouraged her to study law.
Omari is a political analyst and believes his family is purely political. His brother Steve Mogaka has contested for the West Mugirango parliamentary seat. Omari's type of political analysis is not sycophancy but to interpret the facts on the ground, and that's why he's objective whenever he appears on TV.
Omari doesn't have any political ambitions but would consider serving Kenyans in any capacity other than elective. He partnered with his brother in the law firm because they have a big family in the office, and it's a fantastic job. They've taken the Indian model of doing business, and there are other families in Kenya who also embrace it.
Omari's secret to success is thanking God, his wife, and hard work. He has dealt with challenging cases, including one where he was instructed by Deputy President William Ruto to represent him in a child matter. He also handled the Linturi-Kitany divorce case, which was taking place in open court.
Omari's highlight of his career is seeing people cry because of the input of success. He also represents clients and they thank him, or when people say he has represented his client well. That's his happiness. His biggest inspiration is his father, and his biggest regret was venturing into the matatu industry.
Omari unwinds by dancing to rhumba with his wife. Outside court, he's a normal human being. He's married to a beautiful wife, Pamela, who is a communications lecturer, and they are blessed with two sons. They enjoy a good relationship and she is very supportive.
