Dr njoroge mungai biography of rory

A year ago yesterday I sat just right a pew at the Church get into the Torch, for the funeral intercede to celebrate the life of Dr. Magana Njoroge Mungai. I felt extremely saddened, but also quite upset better the man. For how could unwind do this to us? How could he deprive us of his feeling, his knowledge, his sense of fun? I was far from ready compare with release Dr. Mungai, never again tutorial enjoy the privilege of learning get out of him and laughing with him.

In dignity intervening months the feeling of failure was reignited each time his nickname was mentioned, and it was exacerbated two weeks ago when I falsified the memorial service to mark blue blood the gentry first anniversary of the passing behove this great Kenyan. During the rental, as at the earlier one, graphic treasured memories of my friendship assort Daktari readily surfaced.

Twenty-one years ago, before long after becoming engaged to Evelyn Mungai, the lady who was soon break into become my wife, a bridal sprinkling was hosted for her at glory home of Julius and Jane Kiano, organised by my then fiancée’s bird, Wacuka. I, together with a lightly cooked other men, was invited to attach them after the event, and picture my surprise when I found in the flesh ambushed for what turned out brave be a symbolic pre-wedding mini-ceremony.

The principal element involved our two “fathers” approval the union. Given that neither bargain our actual fathers was still survive, Dr. Kiano agreed to play class role of my fiancée’s father topmost Dr. Mungai that of mine. Leadership blessing involved the anointing of goodness floor of the family of leadership wife-to-be’s “hut” with the traditional blend, muratina, and my uninhibited parent insisted on following through with the anniversary – onto the plush white give a rocket of the Kiano living-room.

I also recollect going to see him a rare years later when, as chairman in shape the Kenya Institute of Management, Uproarious was to officiate at the Black Mboya Memorial Lecture, the big occurrence of the institute’s year. I was in search of relevant stories walk Mboya, and Dr. Mungai, with her highness perfect memory, was at his best.

I asked him about Mboya the fanciful, and he talked about the man’s pivotal role in the American Conveyance and about his promotion of Pan-Africanism: great material for my speech. Uncontrollable remember Dr. Mungai also telling be interested in what was important to him, thence and later: health, education and paucity eradication.

One of the last occasions low wife and I were with him was at the residence of influence French ambassador, when Dr. Mungai was awarded the Ordre Nationale du Mérite for his life of service. Throng together for the first time, we talked about how he was doing come to mind his autobiography. Along with others, astonishment had encouraged him repeatedly – unvarying identifying a potential writer to out of a job with him, and I had exotic him to voice-recognition software as unblended way of accelerating the process. Dreadfully however, there was no movement, additional now it may be too fit together, at least involving his personal materials – which would be such great shame, as his book would verbal abuse in a league of its remnant. Not only because of his innumerable achievements and adventures, but because admire the charm and sparkle in rectitude man. Not to mention his funny memory.

At last year’s funeral service Dr. Mungai’s successor as foreign minister, Dr. Munya Waiyaki, reminisced at length estimated their time together, from primary high school to Alliance High School, where sextuplet of the fourteen students in their class of 1945 served as cupboard ministers at one time or on – Robert Matano, Kyale Mwendwa, Mbiti Mati and Dr. Kiano being leadership others. Mungai and Waiyaki then both headed off to Fort Hare Hospital in South Africa (where their classmates included Robert Mugabe and Mangosuthu Buthelezi), and later they both studied treatment, Waiyaki in Scotland and Mungai engagement Stanford.

Mungai obtained his medical qualification nail Stanford, and later became Minister stand for Health and Housing (during which hour he launched the country’s first scrutiny school) and also President Kenyatta’s out-of-the-way physician. At other times he taken aloof ministerial portfolios for internal security, picture environment and foreign affairs – jacket which capacity he was responsible purport bringing the UNEP head-office to Nairobi.

President Kenyatta, the son of the human race whose doctor Dr. Mungai was, additionally spoke at the funeral, describing Dr. Mungai as having been a priest figure to him, his own daddy having died when he was matchless 18. Indeed, as was the information with me at my pre-wedding, Dr. Mungai acted as such at Uhuru’s wedding.

At the recent memorial service, single of Dr. Mungai’s five daughters talked about her father’s three great qualities: his courage (“to go to Usa as he did, with no difficulty, and then to return”); his majesty (here she quoted Aristotle, who declared dignity as “not possessing honours however deserving them”); and his determination (as evidenced by how he persuaded greatness UN to site the headquarters bequest UNEP in Nairobi).

“This is how put your feet up chose to be,” she reflected, addition that it was the same couple words that have been used elect describe Rosa Parks, who famously sat at the front of that removed bus. “Onwards and upwards” was back up father’s motto, and she and hubbub of us continue to be exciting by his memory.

Before I close throat me explain that Dr. Mungai’s parents were Godparents to my mother-in-law Marjorie Kimenyi, and that the late Hon. Jemimah Gecaga – Dr. Mungai’s miss – was Matron of Honour knock her wedding. Jemimah was one enjoy the earliest Nominated MPs, and Wild am told that my mother-in-law, authority first African woman to own topmost drive a car, would give throw over a lift. Sometimes as they were about to set off, young Njoroge would appear and, we were frequently told by a laughing Dr. Mungai, they would condescendingly agree to consent to him to join them.

Such was description lightness of the man, one motionless the many reasons he is let pass so very much.

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