Kiburi House: 1st black-owned house and the seat of Mau Mau Resistance

This tattered, nondescript building on Kìrînyaga Road in Nairobi betrays little if any significance to a passer-by. Yet this is the first building in Nairobi’s CBD that was owned by a black Kenyan.

But there was more to this building. Acquired by a little known businessman Kiburi wa Thumbi in the late 1940s, Kiburi House was cause for much consternation for the colonial authorities. 

In 1950, Kiburi gifted Kenya African Union (KAU) a much needed room to use as their office. Before long, the Transport and Allied Workers Union, which was at the time the most powerful labour movement, also moved into the building.

Kiburi House had now become the centre of African politics and industrial activism. During those days, Kiburi House hosted many visits from leading African politicians and trade unionists, some of them from out of the colony. So much so that a lady trade unionist rented space within the building and started an eatery, serving tea, traditional meals including uji and nyama choma.

Kiburi House also emerged as the publishing house of several vernacular and Swahili publications such as Wîyathi, Afrika Mpya and Inooro ria Gîkûyû, besides acting as the founding offices of the Kenya Federation of Labour.

Interestingly, representatives from western media, who all along shunned KAU, displayed renewed interest in the affairs of the political outfit by flocking to Kiburi House for interviews and news. During the height of freedom in 1950s Kiburi House became the meeting point of KAU top officials. Because of this, unidentified visitors were not allowed inside the building. Kiburi House used to screen the visitors because this building also housed the Mau Mau War Council – by then an underground movement in Nairobi.

One interesting bit of history was that Kiburi wa Thumbi was riding in the same car with Senior Chief Waruhiu when the later was shot dead by Mau Mau. Mr Thumbi was sitting at the co-driver’s seat while Waruhiu was at the back with a man identified as Kirichu wa Murimu. Court records indicated that their car was stopped by three men  who had blocked Senior Chief Waruhiu’s Hudson car.  He first saluted him: “Yes, Senior Chief Waruhiu.”  Kiburi thought he had a letter but the man pulled out a .38 Smith and Wesson Revolver and shot Waruhiu.

It was Waruhiu’s death that triggered the State of Emergency in 1953. With the State of Emergency declared, as the war of independence reached its height, the first target was Kiburi House which was the official headquarters of various trade unions, political parties and African newspapers. The colonial soldiers broke the doors but could not break into a strong safe cemented on the wall. One of the Mau Mau insiders escaped with the keys and it had not been opened for ages. Most likely, it could hold some Mau Mau secrets.

KAU, then led by Jomo Kenyatta mourned the death of Waruhiu and denounced the murder as “cowardly and dastardly act committed against such a leader and a friend of the people.” They described his death as an “irreparable loss”.

Back to our main subject, earlier records reveal that Kiburi House was  purchased from the estate of Col Ewart Grogan who was a trustee of Wright Settlement.

In 1947, the value of Kiburi House was put as Shs 70,000 by Pioneer General Assurance company. In October 9, 1949, the then Nairobi Town Clerk agreed in a letter that Kiburi House  rooms to be changed from lodgings to offices. This allowed KAU members to have offices in the building.

Source: HistoryKE