John Cardinal Njue’s tell-all biography out

For a man who has been naughty by nature, His Eminence John Cardinal Njue still divides opinions even at his advanced age of 76 years, and he says he has no apologies to make.

From milking cows while grazing in the valleys of Embu, being a master squirrel hunter to surviving death after falling ill and after receiving serious beating from his father; Cardinal Njue has always defied expectations.

His life has confounded many — with his dogged determination, the self-proclaimed “man of few words” came, saw and conquered where he was least expected. His quick rise from a Coadjutor Archbishop of Nyeri to the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Nairobi and the second cardinal in the country a month later exemplifies the life of a man who remains a mystery to many

To unmask him, veteran award-winning journalist-turned author Waithaka Waihenya took a bold step and sat the indecipherably private Cardinal Njue down to pen an exhilarating biography.

The biography, Feeling with the Church, offers a peak into the life of the fourth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Nairobi. It paints a picture of a man who has been an inspiration to many and has distinguished himself as a go-getter and a visionary leader, leaving a mark wherever he has been.

Holy Family Basilica

The 266-page book, published by Paulines Publications Africa and printed by Don Bosco Printing Press, traces the Cardinal’s childhood, formation as a priest, his episcopacy and revolutionary-like legacy at the helm of the Metropolitan See of Nairobi.

The book, which was launched yesterday at the Holy Family Basilica, is divided into four sections of 24 chapters starting from his childhood in Embu navigating through his journey of faith straddling several eons to the final stretch as he comes to the end of his episcopacy.

Each chapter offers a glimpse into Cardinal Njue’s life that is riddled with humorous anecdotes, a true depiction of a man known for garnishing his nuggets of wisdom with jokes, leaving his audience in fits of laughter.

And when he stood to talk, the man of the moment left congregants in stitches as he narrated the good, the bad and the ugly sides of his life.

In less than 10 minutes, Cardinal Njue captivatingly summarised his journey from a naughty child, a reluctant school-goer to the man at the helm of the Archdiocese of Nairobi for 13 years.

Different dioceses

Cardinal Njue was in 1973 ordained as a priest serving in different parts of the country. In 1986, he would rise to the position of a bishop serving different dioceses in different capacities before rising to Archdiocese of Nairobi and finally, a cardinal, the second in the country after the late Cardinal Maurice Otunga.

But what stood out is that Cardinal Njue owes everything he has achieved in his life to his parents, who made him see the value of education by turning a mischievous squirrel hunter into a cardinal.

 He reiterated that even as he retires, he has no apologies to make.

“I am a man of few words. I have many things to tell you, but I will not tell you much. However, the most important thing is that we have come from far and we are still going far. I thank you for the spirit of cooperation and belonging that made us go the miles. We are where we are today because of that,” said Cardinal Njue.

Mr Waihenya said: “We were not sure if the cardinal would agree to speak to us but we believed he had a story, and we had to get it from him...” “I realised I did not know him and very few of us do. He is an oxymoron and a humorous man. I have written many books (16) but I have never enjoyed writing one like I did with this one,” he added.

The book can be found in all Catholic bookshops and other outlets in the country and is retailing at Sh1,000.