KENYATTA HOUSE: THE HOUSE OF CONCEPTIONS - A DOCUMENTARY

Kenyatta House is situated in Maralal, a growing town in northern Kenya that started off as a trading center and is now the capital of Samburu County. Set on a 28-acre piece of land, Kenyatta House offers stunning views of Mount Kenya to the south. It was here that Kenyatta completed his book, Facing Mount Kenya, a monograph on the life and customs of the Gikuyu people of central Kenya prior to their contact with Europeans. Kenyatta House was built with the specific intention of housing Mzee Jomo Kenyatta after his stay in Lodwar pursuant to the order by the biased judge. It was a halfway house between freedom and imprisonment; here, he enjoyed relative freedom, and was allowed visitors. Unlike in Lodwar, where access to him was controlled, at Maralal he was free to walk around under the watchful eye of a colonial policeman, a Somali, dubbed his “bodyguard” although he was more of a spy. He would visit the town downhill, interact with locals, and shop from his government allowance. It is also at this house where he met the world press for the first time in eight years, addressing a famous press conference on April 11, 1961, before all restrictions were removed in August of that year. Today, Kenyatta House is a national monument, managed by the National Museums of Kenya. The House was gazetted on January 14, 1977, under Gazette Notice Number 118. Visitors can explore the exhibits, including Kenyatta’s original wire telephone and historic photographs. Notably, the visitor's book includes an entry from Kenya’s fourth president, Uhuru Kenyatta, who was conceived at this very house, Kenyatta House. Uhuru Kenyatta visited Maralal on March 5, 2021.
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