Historic Churches in Muranga
Muranga St. James & All Martyrs Church
On May 18, 1955, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Dr Geoffrey Fischer laid the foundation stone for the memorial church in Fort Hall. Muranga (St. James & All Martyrs) Church stands in memory of Mau Mau victims. For the valiant veterans embodying selfless love, placing the well-being of others above their own, A Church to honor and remember their sacrifice. It was built in a new dawn of hope, free from colonial tyranny. On October 20, 1952, Governor Baring signed an order declaring a state of emergency, to quell the Mau Mau insurgency wide spread in central Kenya, with Muranga serving as an important nerve centre.
A Kenyan born architect, Julian Hill, based in the then Fort Hall, drew up the plans for the new Church, at the site where Francis Hall had been buried. As one of the infamous British officers during colonial rule, Francis Hall had founded the fort at Mbiri in 1900. Hall, who had arrived in Mbiri the previous year, initially claimed his call to the village was to honour an invitation by the local chief, Karuri wa Gakure. Sooner than expected, Hall began carrying out punitive expeditions and imposing harsh policies. Hall died at Mbiri in March 18, 1901, succumbing to a severe bout of dysentery. In June of the same year Mbiri was renamed as Fort Hall in his honour.
After pacification, white settlers began to farm on crown land that was alienated from the Kikuyu. Resistance in Muranga was also weakened by collaborators like Karuri Wa Gakure and his loyal chiefs like Karanja Njiiri who aided the settlers to establish their rule. Before the end of the First World War, the total amount of land in Muranga District was estimated to be 1,754 km2. This was divided up into 338 km2 of unalienated land, 193 km2 of Forest Reserve, 257 km2 of farm area and 255 km2 of Native Reserve. Despite many failures, a few settlers were able to thrive. Swift and Rutherford had a factory in full working order and a sisal estate in Thika.
A year after the laying of the foundation stone, in 1956, at the height of Kenya’s Mau Mau war for independence, a young African Christian artist by the name of Rekyaelimoo (Elimo) Njau was commissioned to paint scenes from the life of Jesus in the church being built as a memorial to Christians who had died in the conflict. The controversial story of the monograph on the murals, completed in 1959, are recounted by Harold Miller in his book ‘The Muranga Murals’ originally published in 2014. It gives a good account to reflections on the many aspects of the murals, including the religious, historical, and cultural context in which they were created.
Muranga (St. James & All Martyrs) Church’s claim to fame is partly on account of its epic art. Along the walls is a collection of 10 unrepeated murals depicting the life of Jesus, meant to commemorate the martyrs who died at the hands of the Mau Mau. Among these is the controversial mural that depicts Jesus, at home in Murang’a, holding a wonky soup ladle to serve his disciples, admonishing us the onlookers of a remote event without which our faith would be in utter disaster. And there’s no shortage of criticism about the other murals. At the onset many were leveled against Elimo who was accused of being a colonial collaborator.
According to Harold Miller, the mural were conceived thematically, according to the Nativity, Baptism, Last Supper, Agony in the Garden, and crucifixion. Each mural stands at about 4.5 metres in width and about 3.5 ms in height, and they are, at the last, monumental works of art. His book also does a lot to demystify the subject of its dedication. While the Church and its murals are said to be dedicated to those who were martyred during the unrest, he observes that who died were either killed by British officers, or by the Mau Mau: “In other words, to be a martyr in this context need not mean that one was the equivalent of a Home Guard”.
Also of interest at Muranga (St. James & All Martyrs) Church, at the churchyard is a civil cemetery with the singular grave of John Edward Blois Heron Maxwell who died at Fort Hall on May 20, 1925, and the only recorded casualty and memorial from World War One in the area. An inscription on the headstone reads: John Edward Blois / Heron-Maxwell / elder son of / Edward James Heron-Maxwell / died 20th May 1925 aged 25 / “until the day breaks and the shadows flee away”. Muranga (St. James & All Martyrs) Church is located nearby Ihura Stadium and Muranga County Assembly, and a hundred yards South of Muranga Police Office.
You don’t have to be religious, or even spiritual, to enjoy a beautiful old church. The architecture, the stained glass, the history, and the famous graves all make visiting historic churches a fulfilling activity on any trip. Kenya has a lot of very old and lovely churches, and you can enter most of them free of charge, at any time.
Index of Historic Churches in Kenya
Baringo County - St. Swithin's Church, Elgeyo Marakwet County - Wewo Catholic Church, Homa Bay County - SDA Church Gendia, Asumbi Catholic Church, Isiolo County - St. Eusebius Cathedral, Kericho County - AIC Kericho, The Sacred Heart Cathedral, ACK Kericho, Kiambu County - St. Mary's of the Angels Church, All Saints Limuru, Watson Scott Memorial Church, PCEA Thogoto Mission Church, Kilifi County - Thomas Wakefield Memorial Methodist Church, The Portuguese Chapel, ACK Rabai Church, Kisumu County - St. Theresa’s Cathedral, Kitui County - AIC Ikutha, Lamu County - Lamu Catholic Church, Machakos County - AIC Mumbuni, Makueni County - AIC Kalamba, Kyale Catholic Church, Meru County - St. Joseph's Cathedral, Kaaga Methodist Church, Migori County - Komotobo Mission Church, Mombasa County - The ACK Mombasa Memorial Church, Holy Ghost Cathedral, ACK Emmanuel Church, Muranga County - Muranga St. James & All Martyrs Church, Tuthu Catholic Church, Nairobi County - St. Stephen Cathedral, St. Austins Cathedral, The All Saints Cathedral, Nakuru County - The Church of Goodwill Elementaita, Remembrance Church Njoro, Nyandarua County - Knessiah 7th Day Jewish Main Synagogue, Nyeri County - Tumu Tumu Hill Church, The Consolata Nyeri Cathedral, PCEA St Curthbert Church, Italian Memorial Church, Samburu County - Baragoi Catholic Mission, Siaya County - Rangala Catholic Church, Taita Taveta County - St. Marks Anglican Church, The Bura Mission Catholic Church, ACK Trinity Church Mahoo, Tana River County - Ngao Neukirchen Church, Hola Methodist Church, Tharaka Nithi County - PCEA Chogoria Church, Trans Nzoia County - St. Lukes Anglican Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Vihiga County - Kidundu Friends Church, Kima Church of God, African Divine Church, West Pokot County - The Holy Cross Church Kacheliba, The Dini ya Roho Mafuta Pole ya Africa
Murang’a County is a rich agricultural and cultural hub, known for its historical significance, beautiful landscapes, and important role in Kenya’s tea and coffee industries. The scenic hillscapes and cultural heritage makes Murang’a County a fascinating destination for visitors interested in nature, history, and agriculture.
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A Guide to Muranga County
A Summa Digest of Muranga
About Muranga Way Back When
40 Destinations in Muranga County, arranged as one would visit these - south, north, west then east - with aid of narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:
Gatura Greens Purple Tea Farm Tours, Kimakia Tea Cottage, Kimakia Falls, Kanunga Falls, Ndakaini Dam, Ndakaini Dam Marathon, Muchiri's Resort, Aberdare Forest, Elephant Hill, Aberdare Bongo Ecolodge, Ranges View Lodge, Manguyo Falls, Mathioya River, Kenya Fly Fishers (Southern Camp), Aberdare Cottages and Fishing Lodge, Mathioya River Lodge, Karuri Gakure Grave Site, Tuthu Catholic Church, Mukurwe Wa Gathanga, Karia Ka Mbari Ya Ngware, Wangu Wa Makeri Shrine, C70 Gacharage-Kangema Road, Maragua Dam, Maragua Falls, Old A2 Route, Muranga town, Kakuzi Boran Barn, Makuyu Golf Club, Makuyu Ridge, Eco Farmhouse, Muranga Gorges, Mathioya Dam, Muranga (St. James & All Martyrs) Church, Stanley’s Haven, Sagana Getaway Retreat, Tetura Sagana Camp, Laibon Gardens & Campsite, Jangwani Camp
Know More About Muranga County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including strip maps, Airports, Climate & National Monuments
Maximum temperatures ranges between 26°C and 30°C, while the minimum ranges between 14°C and 18°C. In the western area, which is mostly high altitudes, the minimum temperatures can be as low as 6°C in July.
The topography and geology of Muranga is more or less sloping westerly towards the long Aberdare Range, the rain catchment from where most of rivers draining it originate. All these rivers flow south-eastward bound, to join Tana.