This archive report was first published on 2 January 2022.
Charles Mugane Njonjo, Kenya's first post-Independence Attorney General, has left a lasting legacy in the country's history. Born in 1920, Njonjo served as Attorney General from 1963 to 1979 and later as Constitutional Affairs Minister between 1980 and 1983.
On Sunday, 2nd January 2022, President Uhuru Kenyatta received the sad news of Njonjo's passing, saying he had died peacefully at 5 am. The President described Njonjo as a national hero and an icon of Kenya's progress through the years.
As the only surviving member of Kenya's independence Cabinet, Njonjo played a leading role in the founding of the Kenyan nation at independence. His contributions to the country's legal and constitutional framework have been instrumental in shaping Kenya's progressive constitutional and legal regime.
President Kenyatta said the country owes a debt of gratitude to Njonjo and his generation of independence era leaders for their selfless contribution to laying the solid foundation upon which Kenya continues to thrive.
