Kenyans are so much enthralled by the Central Bank of Kenya governor , Patrick Njoroge. He seems to be from a different planet altogether. Kenyans are used to senior government officials leading lavish lifestyles.
It is an issue which has provoked protest, not least when parliamentarians awarded themselves a pay rise of 319,000 shillings a month, less than two months after being sworn in in 2013.
Mr Njoroge's predecessors in the central bank lived in the luxurious Muthaiga Estate in Nairobi. They drove Range Rovers or Mercedes Benz accompanied by security cars.
Mr. Njoroge has dismissed these perks, preferring to live in a communal house in Nairobi's Loresho estate. He went to live with his fellow members if an organization of the Roman Catholic Church called Opus Dei.
The organization which means"work of God"in Latin, teaches that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. He is widely credited with developing his humble stance.
When he was being vetted by MPs for the governor position, he surprised the committee by revealing that he didn't own any property in Kenya.
That is despite commanding a presumably large salary in his previous job as an advisor to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Deputy managing director.
"I don't have a single asset in Kenya," he said.
He is also single. MPs were so intrigued by Mr. Njoroge's marital status that he was asked about it during the vetting process,a move BBC trending reports was mocked online.
The MPs gave him a rare offer. When they found out he was single they required to get him a wife.
"I am single by choice-it's not because there's a problem or shortage," he replied.
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