Last August, Raphael Simon Ndingi Mwana ‘a Nzeki, the retired Archbishop of Nairobi, achieved a milestone by becoming the first Catholic cleric in Kenya to mark 50 years as bishop.
The Church leader, who often donned a maroon Ethiopian skullcap, was ordained bishop by Pope Paul VI in Uganda during the pontiff’s visit to Africa in 1969.
Ndingi earned the tag “fearless leader” because he defended the oppressed during the infamous tribal clashes of the 1980s and ‘90s.
He believed the government supported some ethnic groups against others and said so plainly. The cleric did not know the exact date of his birth.
According to the biography A Voice Unstilled by Waithaka Waihenya and Fr Ndikaru wa Teresia, the date of Ndingi’s birth was computed on the basis of guesswork.
Fr Edward Fitz, the priest who baptised him, looked at him and decided he was 14. So his year of birth was entered as 1931 in the Church baptismal register.
Folks that have known him, including his sole surviving sibling Philip Mwania Nzeki – now in his late 70s – believe Ndingi was much older.
Ndingi’s story is of determination, achievement and service. His father, Nzeki Ngila, a respected blacksmith in Mwala, Machakos County, sent him to school in order to avoid paying the fine of a cow to the local chief, who was implementing government policy.
Ndingi’s first school closed down due to low enrollment. He then joined Etikoni Primary School, more than 20 kilometres away from home.
He passed the Common Entrance Examination and joined Kabaa Mission School run by the Holy Ghost Fathers.
Having passed his Standard 8 test, he decided to join the seminary in Kilimambogo against the wishes of his family.
Years later, Ndingi confessed that he found Latin, which was required for seminary training, challenging to learn.
Further training in the seminary saw Ndingi continue his studies in Tanganyika. He was later ordained priest by Archbishop JJ McCarthy in Machakos in 1961.
He served as a priest in Machakos Parish, Nairobi’s Our Lady of Visitation, St Peter Clavers and Holy Family Cathedral, where he doubled up as Education Secretary for the Archdiocese of Nairobi and Education secretary-general for Catholic bishops in Kenya.
He worked closely with Starehe Boys Centre founder Geoffrey Griffin.
An ecumenist, Ndingi had the gift of partnering comfortably with people of diverse religions and cultures. In the early ‘60s, he served as one of the chaplains at Starehe.
Ndingi also worked closely with Moses Mudavadi, then-assistant Director of Education in newly independent Kenya.
Decades later, as bishop of Nakuru, the cleric disagreed with Mudavadi, then a Cabinet minister, over the queuing method of voting.
But the bishop and the politician always held each other in mutual esteem.
As a priest, bishop and archbishop, Ndingi was a man of remarkable discipline, evident in his punctuality.
He was a sportsman, who loved swimming. And he enjoyed African and classical music, with a special liking for Fadhili William, Fundi Konde, W Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.
He relished news analysis, listening to the views of others and giving his input in dialogical exchange.
It’s not surprising that for his studies at John Fisher College, New York, he majored in history and political science.
As a student there, he was greatly influenced by the preaching and books of philosopher and theologian Bishop Fulton Sheen of the Diocese of Rochester.
John Fisher College awarded Archbishop Ndingi a PhD (Honoris Causa) in Law in 1996. Archbishop Ndingi died peacefully at the Clergy Home of the Archdiocese of Nairobi in Ruaraka.
Departed from us as we battle the Covid-19 pandemic, he will continue to inspire many not to give up and to soldier on.
Fr Lawrence Njoroge was Secretary of Archbishop Ndingi, as well as his PA, at the Holy Family Basilica. He serves as Catholic Chaplain at JKUAT. [email protected]
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