Sailosi Wai Kepa | |
---|---|
28th Attorney General of Fiji | |
In office 1988–1992 |
|
President | Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau |
Prime Minister | Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara |
Preceded by | Alipate Qetaki |
Succeeded by | Apaitia Seru |
Judge of the High Court of Fiji | |
In office 1992–1998 |
|
President |
Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara |
Prime Minister | Sitiveni Rabuka |
Chief Justice | Sir Timoci Tuivaga |
1st Chairman, Fiji Human Rights Commission | |
In office 1998–2001 |
|
President |
Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara Ratu Josefa Iloilo |
Prime Minister |
Sitiveni Rabuka Mahendra Chaudhry Ratu Tevita Momoedonu Laisenia Qarase |
Ombudsman of Fiji | |
In office 2001 – August 2003 |
|
President | Ratu Josefa Iloilo |
Prime Minister | Laisenia Qarase |
Personal details | |
Born | 4 November 1938 Nukuni, Ono-i-Lau |
Died | 1 March 2004 |
Spouse(s) | Ro Teimumu Vuikaba Tuisawau-Kepa |
Children | 1 son, 2 daughters |
Alma mater |
Nasinu Teachers College University of Sydney Middle Temple |
Profession | Teacher, Lawyer, Judge, Diplomat |
Sailosi Wai Kepa (4 November 1938 – 1 March 2004) was a Fijian statesman, judge, and diplomat.
Born in the village of Nukuni on the island of Ono-i-Lau, Kepa was one of many distinguished public figures to hail from the Lau archipelago. He was educated at Draiba Fijian School and Lelean Memorial School, before enrolling in Nasinu Teachers College in 1959. He went on to receive a Diploma in Teaching of English from the University of Sydney in 1966. In 1972, he received a Law degree from the renowned Middle Temple in London, England.
Kepa's legal career was a distinguished one, which took him into politics, diplomacy, and the judiciary. After joining the Department of Justice as a magistrate in 1969 (serving Suva, Sigatoka, Nadi, and the Northern Division), he became Chief Magistrate in 1980. He also became Director of Public Prosecutions in November that year. He went on to become Fiji's High Commissioner to London in 1985, and Minister for Justice and Attorney General in 1988. He served in this role until 1992, when he became a High Court judge. In 1998 he was appointed the first Chairman of Fiji's Human Rights Commission. His last official post was as Fiji's Ombudsman, a post he held from 2001 till his retirement in August 2003.