Ambrose Rachier is a Nairobi-based lawyer and chairman of the legendary Kenya Premier League (KPL) football club, Gor Mahia. He is also a senior official in the ranks of the mysterious Free Mason order in Kenya.
Rachier is the founder and Senior Partner of Rachier & Amollo Advocates. He has been an advocate of the High Court of Kenya for over 30 years. He spearheaded and championed the evolution of a legal regime and system geared toward the protection of the rights of persons living with AIDS, and chaired the task force on HIV/AIDS, credited with the creation of a draft bill on HIV/AIDS.
The Gor Mahia Chairman is also a member of the Kenya Medical Research Institute and National Ethical Review Committee and the Chairman to the KELIN Board of Directors.
In this article, WoK profiles the renowned lawyer and his life as a Free Mason.
Background & Education
Rachier attended Alliance High School for his A Levels where he undertook three principle subjects: Literature in English, French and History.
The Gor Mahia Chairman was a beneficiary of a partnership between the Government of Kenya and France, and as a result, was sponsored to study French in Madagascar alongside Senior Counsel James Orengo, Governor for Siaya County.
After completing his diploma in French, Rachier returned to Kenya briefly before he proceeded to Tanzania for further studies. He graduated with a bachelor of Law degree from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Class of 1974, before earning a Master of Law from the University of Nairobi.
Career
Rachier is a founder and senior partner at Rachier & Amollo Advocates. The city lawyer boasts legal experience of over three decades as an advocate of the High Court in Kenya.
He is also a member of the Kenya Medical Research Institute and National Ethical Review Committee and the Chairman to the KELIN Board of Directors.
Free Masonry
On Saturday, October 1, 2022, Rachier gave an interview to NTV Reporter Duncan Khaemba, detailing his entry into the secretive Free Mason order and his rise to senior ranks within the organisation.
The Gor Mahia Chairman detailed that the order has been existent since the year 1640 and members are invited into the organisation by friends. He revealed that the order engages in charity activities with an aim of uplifting humanity.
Rachier dismissed allegations that Free Masonry is associated with Satanic worship, arguing that members of the general public have made the assumption out of ignorance. He states that people judge the order from a religious point of view, yet they are not anchored on religion.
“I think it is all about ignorance. If you get to the masonic hall, the first thing you get is a citation of King Solomon to God saying: “I shall build you a house and you shall establish your throne forever.”
“In reference to building a temple for God, nothing could be further from satanic than that and, indeed, masonry is about building a temple, that is why we have degrees of builders,” he told NTV.
How to Join the Free Masons
The veteran lawyer revealed that he first became a member of the order in 1994 after he was introduced to and referred by a friend. He was asked if he had heard of them and after several conversations, he was proposed to the Free Masons.
“So he got his other friend who knew me, because you have to have two people, one proposing and one supporting, and I was then interviewed, accepted and initiated. I have since grown to become a very senior officer,” he revealed.
To be a member of the Free Masons, Rachier explains that one has to first hear about it from an insider. After that, the person talks them through every aspect of the organisation and if one is interested in joining the order, his or her name is proposed to the organisation.
After that, one is invited for an interview when s/he is taken through a few things before a verdict on membership is reached.
“In particular, we are concerned about your family, what they will think about you because of all these negative views, and if there is any rejection,” Rachier explained.
“It will then be announced to seek objection. If there is, you will not come in. An objection will come from someone who may say you have a negative character. If there is no objection, you will be welcomed and shown what it is all about,” he stated.
Just like weddings, circumcisions and other cultural and religious ceremonies, Rachier stated that the Free Masons also have their initiation rituals but failed to reveal them to the public, stating that it is a secret of the order.
Stages of Free Masonsry
Rachier explained that Free Masonry is divided into three stages; junior, apprentice, and master.
“There are others that go on to the highest degree that you can get to, which is what we call the 33rd degree. That is symbolic as it was the age of Jesus when he was crucified. I am now at the 30th degree,” he explained, further questioning the public perception of the order’s association with the devil.
He, however, notes that a member goes through the stages depending on the seniority level, activity, and performance within the order.
Perceptions
Rachier dismissed the general perception by members of the public that Free Masonry involves cultic oath-taking. He stated that they do not take oaths, however, stated that there is nothing wrong with any outfit taking oaths.
The seasoned lawyer further stated that the order is also moving from a men-only affair, divulging that some in the UK are currently admitting women into the fold.
With the secrecy that comes with Free Masonry, Rachier explains that it is a means of keeping crooked people from joining the organisation.
“We have appointed ministers and they are vetted. This is a kind of vetting, there is no secrecy. It is to vet you to find out whether you are a suitable person,” Rachier stated.
“Sometimes, we get people who get disinterested and they are allowed to leave when they find out it is not the kind of thing for them,” he added.
He, however, notes that when it comes to membership, the order is very specific on who can and cannot be a member. Rachier explains that the order admits honourable members of the society. One can be semi-illitrate, but their objectives and ambition matches that of the Free Masons.
“What kind of a person are you? You need to be a good person. We also embrace charity. Do you have views about charity and do you practice charity?” Rachier adds.
Wealth accumulation
Rachier dismissed the claim that people are funded after joining the order, stating that embers of the order in Kenya are just ordinary members of the public. He notes that the common denominator in Free Masonry is not wealth, but charitable activities.
He revealed that the organisation has members ranging from medical practitioners, lawyers, judges of the court, and businessmen, among others. He revealed that in Kenya, there is no politician who is a member.
Sacrifice
Rachier refuted the general perception that Free Masons sacrifice members of their family in exchange for wealth.
“Yes, I heard all that. But in the 28 years, I have never seen a sacrifice. I have not seen anyone that has sacrificed anybody,” he stated.
He dismissed the general perception that there are some who sacrifice their sons and daughters for wealth.
“There is nothing like that, and masonry is universally practised, which is an amazing thing If you go to a lounge in India, you will see the same things we practice here in Nairobi,” he said.
Rachier stated that he is happy all his children are alive, adding that his eldest son is 43 years old and practices law alongside him. He further states that he has not lost any relatives to any form of human sacrifice.
“I have other children, and I have suffered no death. In my family, I have only lost both my parents, and last year, courtesy of Covid-19, I lost my brother who was 60 years old.
“So there is not even the slightest link to any kind of human sacrifice. This is a myth, and it does not happen anywhere that I know myself, and it does not happen in East Africa,” Rachier explained.
Rachier revealed that his family is aware he is a Free Mason, in fact, he has helped 20 of his family members join the order. He added that they are happy and comfortable with him.
The veteran lawyer stated that to join the organisation, he did not push them, but introduced them to it, and they opted in on their own free will.
Services
Rachier explained that the order is very considerate of the working culture, and since most members are family people, their services begin at 6 pm and end at 9 pm after which they proceed for a group dinner at the Free Mason hall along Nyerere Road.
“Masons are family people, very responsible people, and I am not scared to say I am one of them, and it is something I don’t regret joining,” he stated.
“It’s not weekly, it’s monthly. And it’s something to do with the British. We don’t have meetings in August, September and December.
“In December we devote it to the lord, and those of us who are Christians celebrate Christmas and pray,” Rachier added.
He revealed that they have several special attires for specific functions within the order.
Rachier reiterated that he cannot publicly speak of the initiations within the order, adding that even junior-level members are not introduced to certain things until they pass a certain test.
“If you are at a lower level we don’t tell you what we do at the second level or the third level. You have to pass a certain test,” he divulged.
