Njonjo’s daughter weds at a private ceremony

It was a rare wedding when the daughter of former Attorney-General Charles Njonjo walked down the aisle during a closed-door ceremony at a Nairobi church on Saturday evening.

The exchange of vows between Ms Wairimu Njonjo and Mr Bassen Volker held at the All Saints’ Cathedral was an exclusively family affair.

Only about 30 people were ushered into the church compound for the private wedding in top-of-the-range vehicles guarded by police.

The Press was kept out of the ceremony in which guests were chauffeured to the venue.

The nuptials started at 4 p.m. and the doors to the Cathedral were shut moments later. Police officers replaced church ushers at the entrance.

At one point, Mr Njonjo was forced to personally drive away a group of onlookers and journalists clicking away their cameras.

It was a wedding in a class of its own with few relatives in attendance.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his wife Ida were the only members of government who attended the ceremony.

Unique in the time it began in the late evening, the typical classic English wedding was marked by the diverse cultures on the guest list.

Minutes before the ceremony ended, the groomsmen dressed in black tuxedo suits hurriedly made arrangements for a grand exit for the bridal party.

An apt photo session outside the church was hurriedly arranged as security barred the public that was anxious to steal glances of the voguish ceremony.

The bride wore a flowing off-the-shoulder wedding gown with a neatly beaded bodice with straight hair.

Mr Njonjo is the son of a former colonial chief, Mr Josiah Njonjo.

After Kenya’s independence in 1963, Njonjo was appointed Attorney-General, a post he held until 1979 during which time he remained one of the most powerful men in President Kenyatta’s administration.

The same year, he was elected MP for Kikuyu constituency, and in 1980 he was appointed Minister for Constitutional Affairs in Daniel arap Moi’s government.

In 1983, he was forced to resign, and left public life after a commission of inquiry concluded that he had abused his office amid allegations that he was trying to take over the presidency from Mr Moi.