Sailosi Kepa

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, 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 later studied received a Law degree.

Kepa's legal career was a distinguished one, which took him into politics, diplomacy, and the judiciary. He variously served as the Director of Public Prosecutions, a magistrate, High Commissioner to London, Minister for Justice and Attorney General from 1988 to 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.

In his younger years, Kepa made a name for himself as a rugby player. He was later rewarded by being made Chairman of the Fiji Rugby Union from 1983 to 1986. He was granted life membership in 1994.

Kepa was married for many years to Ro Teimumu Kepa, an Adi (Fijian chief) and politician in her own right, who is currently (June 2005) the Roko Tui Dreketi (Paramount Chief) of the Burebasaga Confederacy and Minister for Education in the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. They had four children: Filipe, Sailosi, Jr., Asenaca, and Tupoutu’a.