Relax 
Friday, April 8, 2005 

After 16 years as head of the Mombasa Catholic Archdiocese, Archbishop John Njenga is a man whose tenure and life could be aptly described as laden with pleasant coincidences.

In 1980, as chairman of the Kenya Episcopal Conference, he was the coordinator of the Bishop's Conference in Nairobi and at the forefront of organising the Pope’s visit to the country.

"It was our responsibility as heads of the church in Kenya to work with other stakeholders, especially the government, to prepare for the Pope’s visit and itinerary," he said.

Since the Holy Father was visiting an African country there had to be specific arrangements to portray the African heritage. "I remember we organised traditional dances and even made the Pope a Kalenjin elder with full regalia to go with that status."

The Pope’s tour was a great success and a rewarding experience. And what a great honour to be associated with the success of the Pope's visit, knowing he was the spiritual leader of more than one billion people in the world! 

"After the visit, I met the Pope a few times again in Rome. The bishops are supposed to go to Rome every five years and this of course is another opportunity to meet him. The Pope would always remark about my position in Mombasa telling me not to worry because all other people who did not profess Christianity were also children of God," he recalled.

And as Archbishop Njenga bids his Mombasa congregation farewell, the Catholic church worldwide is giving the Pope a final send-off. What a coincidence!

"This is just a coincidence; I am now approaching 77 years and officially I ought to have retired at the age of 75. As is the norm, when I attained that age two years ago I submitted a retirement letter and I do not know why it did not go through until now!"

The coincidences aside, Archbishop Njenga has fond memories of the late spiritual leader. "I remember him as a leader who liked people and was always available to everyone who sought his audience."

His foresight and concern for the youth, Archbishop Njenga recalled, was very touching and the number of youth programmes that the church initiated only helps to enhance the fact.

But more interesting is the Pope’s sense of humour, which will remain etched on his mind. "As head of the Mombasa congregation he would fondly and jokingly refer to me as ‘Bishop of Muslims’. For a man of his stature sharing a joke with me was an experience that I will always cherish," he said with nostalgia.

In 1989, when he was transferred to become the Bishop of Mombasa, it was the beginning of the centenary celebrations for the Catholic Church. Mombasa was to host the celebrations. But that was not all. Bishop Njenga became the archbishop on the centenary occasion of the Catholic faith.

Our telephone conversation was quite refreshing. Archbishop Njenga was just about to go into an important meeting that would decide who among the top ranking clergy from the Catholic church would represent the country in Rome during the Pope’s funeral. 

"There is an interdenominational organisation in Mombasa that brings together people from different religious faiths. This has greatly helped to bring about unity of purpose and enabled us to work as a community," he said.

Born in Tigoni, Kiambu, in 1928, John Njenga’s rise was characterised achievements. Throughout his elementary school, Archbishop Njenga was a staunch Protestant. He bought himself a Bible as his desire to teach the word of God grew. But he was not baptised. The Church Mission of Scotland reserved baptism for adults. "Up to now I haven’t understood why – I suppose the Lord wanted me to become a Catholic!" he said.

After sitting his Common Entrance Examination he joined the Catholic Intermediate School in Lioki. The choice of school was on the basis of cost and became the turning point in my life. It was here that I was baptised into the Catholic faith, confirmed and later ordained.

In 1944, when he was a student at Mangu High School and a member of the Legion of Mary, he taught Catechism (the doctrine of Catholic faith) to notable luminaries like the late Lawrence Sagini and Vice-President Moody Awori, among others.

After passing his Cambridge School Certificate Examination the young Njenga had the option of either going to Makerere University, which was the only university in East Africa at the time, or to a seminary. 

His fate had already been sealed much earlier when his priest had asked him; "now that you are baptised, would you like to become a priest?" 

Out of fear of being thrown out of school, he answered in the affirmative. His mother, though sad that he would not be able to marry and have children named after her, gave him her blessings to become a priest after realising that her son was committed to his calling.

As the congregation in Mombasa prepares to bid farewell to Archbishop Njenga, his tenure in the area will be remembered for the increase in the number of priests and parishes. But not just the numbers, opportunities for priests to advance in education have also increased.

Other notable contributions can be seen in the education sector that saw the establishment of St Theresa’s Girls School in Chaani and St Mary’s Teachers College in Bura, Taita.

As he prepares to hand over to Archbishop Boniface Lele, Archbishop Njenga will be retiring to the Queen of Apostles Seminary home in Nairobi’s Kasarani area. 

"The house built by Christians is now complete with just a few final touches remaining on the landscaping and the perimeter wall," he said.

Though retiring, Archbishop Njenga will not just be lazing around. "I will still continue with the Christian ministry, have more time to read and reflect, and have time to visit children’s homes and other less-fortunate members of society."

His strong attachment to Mombasa was sealed with his appointment as Archbishop Emeritus of Mombasa. "This means that I still have a strong attachment to the diocese and the cathedral to the extent that when I die I will be buried there."

His advice to Christians is: Love and service to the people to ensure that the gospel of God is spread.