Central Bank governor nominee Patrick Ngugi Njoroge. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU |
NATION MEDIA GROUP
Sometimes we of the media love to make mountains out of
molehills. That was the case with the melodrama we created about the
parliamentary vetting of Central Bank governor nominee Patrick Ngugi
Njoroge and his bachelor status.
The MPs never set out
to make a big fuss about it as was implied. Nor did anybody really
expect they would reject his appointment because he doesn’t have a wife.
Even Kitutu Chache North MP Jimmy Angwenyi’s reported offer to link the
gentleman up with a certain lady must have been said with
tongue-in-cheek.
For those who know Dr Njoroge and his
way of life, his single status is nothing to be surprised about. He is a
member of a very conservative organisation of the Catholic Church
called Opus Dei (which translates to “Work of God”).
The thing about it is that it is keen on professional laypersons and not necessarily priests or nuns.
There are several layers of membership. One of the most important is that of those called numeraries.
These
are celibate members who usually live in gender-segregated centres run
by Opus Dei. Numeraries generally have normal careers but devote the
bulk of their income to the organisation.
According to
Opus Dei’s 1982 statutes, potential numeraries ordinarily “ought to
have a civil academic degree or professional equivalent, or be able, at
least, to obtain one after admission”. Both men and women may become
numeraries, though they don’t ordinarily mix.
There is
another category called supernumeraries. These are married men and women
who have secular careers and lead traditional family lives. Unlike the
numeraries, supernumeraries are not required to be celibate.
Strathmore
College, where Dr Njoroge once studied, is run by Opus Dei. Those days
the school was famous for its accountancy courses, and it is no surprise
that many of its alumni are to be found in the financial sector as
accountants and economists.
Dr Njoroge is not alone
among members of Opus Dei who hold high positions in government. There
is that veteran economist at the Treasury, Prof Terry Ryan. I don’t
think he is married either.
A portion of Opus Dei
members end up being ordained priests. One of Dr Njoroge’s brothers,
Anthony Muheria, opted for this route. He is now the Bishop of the Kitui
Catholic Diocese.
President Kenyatta would have an
in-house tutor were he inclined to know about Opus Dei and the work
ethic of its members. His wife Margaret attended Kianda School in
Nairobi, which is another of che institutions run by Opus Dei. Although I
doubt she is a member, I am sure she knows the organisation well.
Opus
Dei, founded in 1928 by Spanish priest, later Saint, Josemaria Escriva,
is not a particularly popular organisation, even among other Catholics,
owing to its extremely secretive nature.
The novel The Da Vinci Code
shows why many people are uncomfortable with this organisation. But the
quality of the professionals it counts as members is not to be doubted.
Only
a fraction of the people trained in Opus Dei-run institutions opt to
become members of the organisation. I am almost certain that Chief
Justice Willy Mutunga, who went to school at Strathmore, is not a
member.
***
The International Criminal Court will never be effective as long as it is seen as a discriminatory entity.
Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir was recently in the Egyptian resort city of
Sharm al-Sheikh for the Comesa-EAC-SADC integration conference.
No
warnings and threats of his arrest were issued by the ICC or the West.
He has been several times to the United Arab Emirates, to Qatar, and to
other Arab destinations.
Again, no warnings were issued. But the moment he sets foot in South Africa, or Nigeria, or Kenya, all manner of noise ensues.
The
court and its backers should start treating Africans with some respect
for once. Seriously, the ICC expected South Africa to arrest Bashir?
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