Roman Catholic Cardinal. The son of a traditional paramount chief of the Bakhone tribe who had about seventy women recognized as true wives, Maurice Michael Otunga converted to Catholicism in 1935, being baptized in 1935. His parents eventually were likewise baptized three decades later. Receiving his first education at the Mill Hill schools of Kibabii and Sijei, he later frequented the Holy Ghost schools of Kabaa and Mangu. Entering St. Peter the Apostle's Minor Seminary of Mukumu, he moved to the Major Seminary of Ggaba in Kampala, Uganda, for his philosophical and theological studies after declining to become paramount chief following his father's retirement. Sent to Rome for further studies, he attended the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum De Propaganda Fide, earning a licentiate in theology a year after being ordained priest there by Cardinal Pietro Fumasoni Biondi in October 1950. Back in Kenya, he lectured theology at St. Peter's Seminary of Kakamega for three years, until being named secretary to Msgr. James Knox, Apostolic Delegate in British Africa, wih whom he moved to Mombasa, eventually traveling extensively across Africa with the Delegate. Assigned to the parish of Makupa in 1956, in November that year he was elected auxiliary of Kisumu by Pope Pius XII, receiving his episcopal consecration with the titular see of Tacape from the named Msgr. Knox on February 25, 1957 at Kakamega. Appointed first ordinary of the newly erected diocese of Kisii on May 21, 1960, he was named the first chancellor of the University of Eastern Africa and successively the first military vicar of military ordinariate of Kenya on January 20, 1964. Promoted to the titular archbishopric see of Bomarza and appointed coadjutor of the archdiocese of Nairobi with right of succession on November 15, 1969, he succeeded to the archbishopric on October 24, 1971 following the retirement of Msgr. John Joseph McCarthy C.S.Sp. President of Episcopal Conference of Kenya and vice-president of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of East Africa (AMECEA), Pope Paul VI created him cardinal priest in the consistory of March 5, 1973 with the title of San Gregorio Barbarigo alle Tre Fontane, becoming thus the first Kenyan to become priest, bishop, archbishop and cardinal. Resigning the pastoral government of his see on May 14, 1997 and the military ordinariate on the following September 13, the Cardinal spent his last years in a home for the aged at Nyumba ya Wazee in Mombasa, eventually passing away in Nairobi at the intensive care unit of Mater Misericordiae Hospital of a cardiac arrest. Buried in accordance with his wishes at Saint Austin's Cemetery, Msongari, Nairobi, in August 2005, following plans to have his cause of beatification initiated, his remains were secretly transferred to Resurrection Gardens in Karen, Nairobi, a move which was highly opposed by the Bukusus, fearing that the corpse transfer was likely to bring a curse on their community. The Cardinal's beatification process was introduced in September 2009, with the Holy See already attributing to him the title of "Servant of God".