Church built by Italian prisoners of war in 40s

Between 1941 and 1946, a total of 55,000 Italian prisoners of war (POWs) were held in 11 camps spread throughout Kenya, far outnumbering the 21,500 British subjects settled here. This presented a logistical nightmare for the British, not just in Kenya but also in other territories as well because the overall number of POWs was in excess of 500,000 during Word War II.

The solution was found in engaging them in farm and construction work as well as road building. And for the POWs that did not place a high premium on patriotism, they were placed in military intelligence and propaganda.

One camp was set up at Ndarugu, situated between Thika and Juja towns, some two kilometres east of the main highway. Camp Number 360 was located on the Ndarugu plantation, an extensive mixed coffee and dairy concern owned by a British settler. Under war conditions, the government can commandeer private property if it considers that such property will contribute positively to ongoing war efforts.

The camp was home to about 10,000 POWs, a large number by any standards, and they worked on this and other surrounding farms at no cost to the owners, which must have afforded some measure of relief in return for the forced occupation. The POWs also worked at a brick manufacturing plant in Thika town.

Bishop John Joseph McCarthy’s plea to Governor Henry Monck-Mason Moore, on behalf of the Italian POWs at Maai Mahiu, must have been heard in Ndarugu for there they built a slightly bigger church.

The building was completed in 1942 and is constructed in dressed stone walls, with flush mortar joints under a galvanised corrugated iron sheets roof, resting on timber trusses. The internal walls are smooth rendered and painted brilliant white in the main hall and cream to the apse.

The windows are made of stained glass, in steel casements hung in arched timber frames, while doors are of ledged and braced timber panels supported by recessed arched and beautifully hand-crafted frames.

The floor is finished in cement screed slabs, except for the altar area that is finished in patterned ceramic tiles. The church has a seating capacity of 60 provided by ornate, hand carved, dark wood pews.

There is also a commemorative styled stone pillar near the church. The church is relatively well maintained and is now under the management of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA).

During my visit, I met Evangelist Geoffrey Karesi who informed me that Ndarugu plantation changed hands from the original owners and was eventually bought by Njau Wambura, one of their staunch parishioners.

Seeing that there was a place of worship on his property, he donated the church together with one acre of land to PCEA. The title is registered under the PCEA Foundation.

In 2011, the church was gazetted as a national monument, along with the stone pillar and the brick manufacturing plant in Thika town. Regular services are conducted every Sunday by PCEA Thika West Parish. It appears the POWs were well looked after in this camp as there are no reports of mass graves, escaped prisoners or even the telltale progeny.

I understand their weekly rations consisted of 42oz (1.2kg) of beef, 8oz (0.22kg) of bacon, 5½lbs (2.3kg) of bread, 10½oz (4.53kg) of margarine, as well as vegetables, cheese, cake, jam and tea. Not bad at all. I would imagine the incentive to escape was somewhat reduced in these circumstances.

It was heart warming to see that this church is well maintained and in regular use. This is certainly an example that should be replicated in all our historical sites.