Dedan Kimathi Monument

Map Guide
About The Landscape

Content 1

Background

Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi Waciuri (Kimathi wa Waciuri), October 31, 1920 – February 18, 1957, was a Kenyan freedom fighter who fought against British colonisation in Kenya in the 1950s. He later caught, convicted and executed by the British colonial government.

Getting There

Along Kimathi Street, opposite the Hilton Hotel.

Main Attractions

The monument of Dedan Kimathi in the Nairobi CBD

The bronze statue of Kimathi was unveiled in Nairobi city centre on the anniversary of the day he was executed. Kimathi, clad in military regalia, holds a rifle on the right hand and a dagger on the other, symbolising the last weapons he held in his struggle.

History

Dedan Kimathi was born in Thenge Village Tetu division, Nyeri District. At the age of fifteen, he joined the local primary school, Karuna-ini, where he perfected his English skills. He would later use those language skills to write extensively before and during the uprising. He was a Debate Club member in his school.

He was deeply religious and carried a Bible regularly. He worked for the forest department collecting tree seeds to help him foot his school bill. He later joined Tumutumu CSM School for his secondary learning, but dropped out for lack of funds. He dabbled with several jobs but never felt fully settled.

Notable was his enlisting with the army to fight in the Second World War in 1941. However, in 1944, he was expelled for misconduct. In 1946, he became a member of the Kenya African Union. In 1949, he started teaching at his old school Tumutumu, but left the job within two years.

Contacts

Travel Resource Kit