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Losing one eye in an accident and then losing the remaining one a year later to diabetes has not stopped former envoy from winning a lawsuit.
Ambassador Aggrey Shikanga Shitsama (pictured) who is now totally blind, has been actively representing clients in court despite his current state.
He has never lost a single client since he graduated and was admitted to the bar in 1980.
In 1992, he was involved in a tragic road accident that severely damaged his right eye.
“It was scary, but I held onto faith telling myself that I survived death.”
In October 1992, the ambassador was diagnosed with diabetes. And as if that was not enough, while serving as a deputy ambassador to Addis Ababa in October 2016, his doctor told him he had kidney failure as a result of diabetes. He has been on dialysis to date.
“I started experiencing loss of sight in my remaining eye and lost my sight completely in March 2017,” he told The Nairobian.
He had to prematurely leave his ambassadorial position, though his contract was coming to an end in July the same year.
“After I was discharged from hospital, I could not resume duties in Addis, but I opted to return to my law firm. Even when I was there, my firm, which I founded 37 years ago, had not closed down, so I came to offer my expertise,” says Shitsama.
He says that he is able to execute over 90 per cent of the work and dictate court papers to his junior lawyers and a secretary, who prepare court documents. He has employed two advocates and two holding-on lawyers set to be admitted to the bar in a few months.
“They help me draft affidavits, petitions and other court documents. Disability taught me that I cannot be private anymore. Having a friendly environment of colleagues, family members and staff who are helpful is the greatest achievement. The lawyers working with me have been doing research, which we use to argue our cases in court, citing decisions made in similar matters what we call list of authorities,” he says.
The ambassador adds that he has been drawing motivation from David Blunkett, the blind minister from the United Kingdom, and Henry Wanyoike, the paralympic champion.
“As long as my other faculties are functioning normally, I don’t see this as a challenge. As long as I know where I am, I can do a lot of work by myself, but at some point, I need assistance, which I always get from my friends.”
Ambassador Shitsama boasts that many practising advocates, county attorneys and even judges have passed through his hands due to his vast experience. Going forward, he wants to offer consultation services as he champions the rights of persons living with disabilities.
“Other body organs like my legs have been of much help than I thought. In my house, I walk freely to every room. As long as I know where I am, I can do many things on my own,” he says.
He says studying braille is not an alternative to him at the moment though many of his friends are advising him to do so. He wants to live with honest people who can even read his text messages.
“What I want to fight for is to ensure the blind are not disadvantaged. Many government appointments are done through online applications which they cannot access. There are provisions in the law that have been completely underutilised which I want to champion from now on,” he says, adding that he shall ensure that disabled people retire at 65 years and not 60 like other people.
He is yet to be listed with any disability group, saying he’s not rushing despite the advantages they are constitutionally entitled to.
In August 2015, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him as deputy head of missions to Ethiopia. He was tasked with strengthening bilateral relations between Kenya and Djibouti and the head of African Union mission.
Prior to this, he was the board chairman of Standards Tribunal, under the Ministry of Trade and Industrialisation. As the chair, he was equal to a high court judge since he could hear appeals from the High Court regarding decisions made against products that had not met the Kenya National Bureau Standards (Kebs).
The tribunal mostly deals with lawsuits filed by or against Kebs, but their quality have been questioned.
