NAIROBI, APRIL 7, 2020 (CISA)-The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has joined the world in mourning and celebrating the life of Archbishop Raphael Ndingi Mwana a’ Nzeki, emeritus of the Archdiocese of Nairobi who died on March 31, 2020 after a long illness.
“…he will be remembered for his illustrious service to humanity, first as a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and the champion for human rights in the society,” the commission said in April 3 statement signed by the George Kegoro,the Executive Director.
“We will forever celebrate him as one of the spirited religious who had a very deep appreciation of the interplay between religion and politics and its application in the protection and promotion of human rights and justice in the society,” the statement reads.
The Commission remembered him alongside other religious leaders including Rev. Timothy Njoya, the late Bishops David Gitari, Henry Okullu, Alexander Muge among others who used the pulpit to publicly condemn the violations and injustices in Kenya, and advocated for reforms in Kenya in the 1980s and 1990s.
“Ndingi will always be remembered for being at the forefront of speaking truth to power, exposing and confronting the excesses of the Kenya government and society with amazing grace and humility when he served in Nakuru and Nairobi. He openly admonished the government for its role in the politically instigated violence experienced in the Rift Valley, Nyanza and Western provinces in 1992,” the commission said.
According to the commission, during Ndingi’s time, the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi became the bastion and fortress for the political activists who were advocating for reforms and seeking safe refuge.
“He vividly advanced the provisions for and protection of marginalized and vulnerable groups exemplifying the practical link between the doctrines of love and justice to the needy,” the statement said.
The late archbishop Ndingi was buried Tuesday April 7, at the Holy Family Minor Basilica in Nairobi.
