Charles Njonjo’s cause of death revealed

Kenya’s first native Attorney-General Charles Njonjo died of pneumonia on Sunday morning, his family has confirmed.

The ex-AG’s son-in-law, Carey Ngini, who is the husband of Njonjo’s second born daughter Mary Wambui Njonjo, in an exclusive interview with KTN News reporter Emmanuel Too, said the disease made Njonjo’s lungs to collapse.

According to Ngini, the 101-year-old had been ailing for almost a year, starting 2020.

“Over the course of last year (2020) and this year (2021), he’d been battling one ailment or another, very well despite his age,” said Ngini, who gave KTN News an interview at the Kariokor Hindu Crematorium, where Njonjo was cremated at 10:30am on Sunday.

“As of this morning (Sunday, January 2), at around 5:15am, he breathed his last. It was actually as a result of a little bout of pneumonia, which he suffered. The pneumonia had compromised his lungs. His passing was peaceful. He was surrounded by his family members,” added the son-in-law.

Njonjo died at his Muthaiga home in Nairobi County.

Ngini said the centenarian was in good spirits on Saturday night, January 1.

“As late as last night, we’d had some interesting conversations together. He was lucid, his memory was clear, but he was unwell and he was weak,” he said.

“For those 100 years [of his life] that we’ve seen, almost 102, shy by 21 days, we want to thank God for his life. His legacy is intact. I think that is clear. All we can do now as a family, is rally behind his widow, children and the grandchildren to make sure that we try and maintain his legacy.”

On why Njonjo was cremated almost immediately after his death, Ngini said: “He had a long career as a civil servant, and he was also a lawyer by training. So, he was a man who was very clear about instructions, and a man who was very clear about what he wanted, not just in life, but what he wanted in death as well.

“Part of his instructions were that we perform a cremation immediately or immediately after his passing. He didn’t want any fanfare, he didn’t want a lot of ceremony, he didn’t want a lot of what goes with funerals and passing of people of his stature. He was very clear that we must cremate him immediately after he passes on.

“As a family, we chose to fulfill his wishes, and we have now cremated him. We cremated him at around 10:30am today. He is now at rest. The cremation [process] was quite quick.”

On why he thinks Njonjo’s life spanned a century, which is quite rare in a country where people’s lifespan averages 66.7 years, Ngini said: “I wish I knew [his secret to long life]. If I knew that secret, I would bottle it, sell and it and I would be quite wealthy. He was a very disciplined individual. Some of it also must be [due to] genetics; his parents also lived to a ripe, old age. But I think, at the end of the day he ate well, he exercised and he lived a disciplined life.”

Ngini eulogised Njonjo as a “special family man”.

“He was a very special family man; his son, his two daughters and wife came first. He was a very charitable person at heart, he helped many people. He was the best father and grandfather that any family would wish to have. He will be missed,” he said.

Njonjo’s personal doctor, David Silverstein, who also served late President Daniel Moi, declared him dead at 5:15am on Sunday.

Charles Mugane Njonjo served as Kenya’s first native Attorney-General between 1963 and 1979. He retired as AG aged 60. He took over from Eric Griffith-Jones, the Attorney-General of the British administration in Kenya, who was appointed to the position on May1, 1955.

Shortly after retirement as AG, Njonjo was elected unchallenged to the National Assembly in April 1980 as the Member of Parliament for Kikuyu Constituency.

Late President Daniel Moi appointed him to Cabinet in June 1980 to serve as the Minister for Home and Constitutional Affairs.

Njonjo is survived by a widow, Margaret Bryson, and three children, Wairimu Njonjo, Wambui Njonjo and Josiah Njonjo.