Knessia Jewish Synagogue

Historic Churches in Nyandarua

Knessiah 7th Day Jewish Main Synagogue

In 2010, the Kenyan Messianic Jews celebrated their 40th Passover at the small synagogue in Mairo Inya Location, about four kilometres from Nyahururu Town. Kenyan Messianic Jews are members of a community in Kenya that identify as both Christian and as Jewish. Their beliefs are different from those of Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist Judaism, which all reject Messianic Judaism. Praying in a mix of Hebrew and the local Kikuya language, the self-taught Jews battle to maintain their identity. Their synagogue, formerly built from birch and plastic sheeting, snapping to and fro in the gusty air, has not attracted many.

Local African Jews are not a new phenomenon on the continent. The Abayudaya Jews of Uganda have gone from a struggling and isolated outpost of Judaism to a vibrant Jewish community. Almost every Shabbat they host visitors from around the world, and they have recently exhibited the best indication of a healthy and growing Jewish society: dividing into competing synagogues. But over the past 15 years, their counterparts in Mairo Inya, of rural farmers, has quietly struggled to build a Jewish life here. At Knessiah 7th Day Jewish Main Synagogue only a small group of about 3,000 native farmers has been thriving for the last 60 odd years.


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. 


Greatly positioned as an agrarian hub, with increased investment in infrastructure, Nyandarua County is also famous for its scenic landscapes and montane climate. Named after the Aberdare Ranges, with an extensive presence, Nyandarua grew as an agribusiness locale but is well making a name for itself as an alpine escape.

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Thanks to its high altitude, all of Nyandarua experiences pleasant to low temperatures. Highest temperatures are in the month of December that bears an average temperature of 25oC: Lowest in July, 14oC.

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