NAIROBI, Oct 6, 2007 (AFP) - Kenyan Archbishop Ndingi Mwana'a Nzeki, a relentless critic of rights abuses, retired Saturday from the helm of the Roman Catholic Church in Kenya which he served for nearly half a century.
Ordained as priest in 1961, the straight-talking Nzeki took over the leadership of the Kenyan church in 1997 upon appointment as the archbishop of Nairobi.
"I am happy I have done my work for 38 years as bishop," the 75-year-old said.
Nzeki gained fame in the early 1990s when he repeatedly clashed with the autocratic regime of former president Daniel arap Moi, who was accused of fanning tribal clashes that killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands.
"What I said was not against him (Moi), but against the policies of the time," Nzeki said.
Nzeki fiercely and successfully opposed attempts to introduce sex education in schools and allow the controlled use of contraceptives to slash the rate of spreading HIV/AIDS in the country.
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