Njoroge Mungai was born in Gichungo village, in Kiambu in colonial Kenya.
19 Facts About Njoroge Mungai
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Njoroge Mungai was educated at Alliance High School, Kikuyu, and was part of the famous class of 1946, of which six of its fourteen students were part of Kenya's first cabinet including his good friend and later successor in the Foreign Affairs Ministry Dr Munyua Waiyaki.
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Njoroge Mungai wanted to travel to the United States to study medicine but was denied a passport by the British authorities; he therefore attended Fort Hare University in South Africa where he studied Hygiene.
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Njoroge Mungai was a first cousin to Kenya's first President, Jomo Kenyatta.
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When Kenyatta was arrested, Dr Njoroge Mungai served as his personal physician, a role he would continue until the President's death.
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Njoroge Mungai was intrigued with Kenyatta's political ideology and the ideals of achieving freedom for Kenya.
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Njoroge Mungai soon joined the Kenya African National Union, Kenya's freedom party, for which he served as the organization's Secretary.
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Njoroge Mungai was part of the Kenya Delegation that negotiated independence from Britain at the Lancaster House Conferences of 1960.
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In independent Kenya, Njoroge Mungai would serve first as Minister for Health in which capacity he established Kenya's first medical school.
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Njoroge Mungai was later moved to the Defense Ministry and it was during his tenure there that the Shifta War between Kenya and Somalia broke out.
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Njoroge Mungai led a mediation team to Kinshasa which resulted in the Arusha declaration of 1967, bringing a close to the conflict.
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Njoroge Mungai was with Milton Obote at the Singapore Commonwealth meeting, pushing for the British to cease supplying arms to South Africa, when Idi Amin overthrew the Ugandan President.
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Njoroge Mungai famously restrained Obote from returning to Uganda where Obote would have been killed.
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In business, Njoroge Mungai had a private clinic at Riruta, Nairobi, among other clinics, all of which he ultimately donated to the government.
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Njoroge Mungai served as the Chairman of Servair Investment Airport Kenya Limited and was instrumental in merging the airline catering company, NAS, with the French catering company, Servair, in 2010.
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Njoroge Mungai was married and the father of six children.
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Njoroge Mungai would rejoin the Cabinet in 1990 as a Minister for Environment before quitting active politics in 1997.
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Njoroge Mungai was honoured with a Commander of The National Order of Merit from the French government in April 2014 for his contribution to business, democracy and international diplomacy.
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Dr Njoroge Mungai died on August 14,2014, at the age of 88 at Nairobi Hospital.