When the global devastation of the Second World War is discussed, its impact on Africa is often glaringly overlooked. By the commencement of the war in 1939, most of the continent was under colonial rule. Because the Allied Powers – led by Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union – were opposing the Axis powers – Germany, Italy, and Japan – there was a looming threat that Italians would invade Kenya from Italian Somaliland in the north. This came to pass on 13th June 1940 when there was an Italian air raid on the Royal Air Force base at Wajir. This event plunged East Africa into large-scale hostilities. The war continued until November 1941 when Italian forces were thwarted in their final stronghold during the Battle of Gondar in Ethiopia. Approximately 55,000 Italian prisoners of war were captured and detained in Kenya.
The Aftermath of the War
The Italian war prisoners captured during the East African campaign far outnumbered Kenya’s British settler population of 21,500. To prevent a full-on revolt that would have likely ended in favour of the Italians, the prisoners were interned in 11 detainment camps scattered across Kenya. They went on to be tasked with manual labour. One such camp was in Mai Mahiu, also known as Camp 352.
The prisoners were set to work on the construction of the Mai Mahiu Road under treacherous conditions. Many succumbed to exhaustion, illnesses or brutal treatment in the hands of the British wardens. As the road construction was underway in 1942, the prisoners requested permission to build a church in which they could conduct their worship. At the behest of Nairobi’s Bishop JJ McCarthy, the British governor granted this request.
Construction of the Church
The prisoners constructed a church that featured Italian architectural style. The structure is so small that it only accommodates four wooden pews and an altar with a pulpit. It has three doors, arched windows finished with stained glass, and several Latin inscriptions. The inscription above the church entrance reads, stat crux dum volvitur orbis, to mean, the cross stands while the world turns. This statement, paired with the cross mounted on the roof apex, speaks volumes of the faith of the soldiers even during their lowest moments.
Three other inscriptions line the interior church walls. They read: venite ad memone (come to me my people), haec est victoria quae vincit mundum fides mustra (this is the victory that has won the world by our faith), benedicite coeli domino benedicite (blessed be the sky and blessed again), and universa germinatia in terra domino (everything will germinate in the sky and on the earth).
Behind the altar is a mural that features the Nativity scene of baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph. The mural is signed Pittore R. and dated 25.02.1943. These are likely references to the name of the artist and the date the mural was completed.
A Place for Travellers
After the release of the Italian prisoners of war in 1947, the local community took up maintenance of the church. They did so until 1981 when it was gazetted as a national monument. Its care then fell to the National Museums of Kenya. Since then, this monument has gained fame for being the smallest church in Kenya.
At present, the church acts as a rest stop for those traversing the busy Mai Mahiu highway. This has earned it the name Travellers Church, a place that gives sojourners brief respite and invites tourists to learn about a relatively unknown part of Kenya’s history.
Have you visited the Travellers Church before? What fascinated you most about it, the size, the art, or the history?
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