By Anderson Ojwang
At the heart of Nairobi conspicuously sits the legendary monument, a historic feature in the country’s history. Next to it stands the country’s historical reservoir, the National Archives. The two form part and parcel of the country’s story.
Nestled between two streets, Tom Mboya Street and Moi Avenue, named after the country’s second president, the late Daniel Moi, the Tom Mboya Monument has turned into a congregation.
Mboya, a freedom fighter and the founder of the labour movement in Kenya, the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU), remains at the fulcrum of the country’s struggle.
Some 100 metres away, on Kimathi Street, stands the Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi Monument, honouring a pioneering freedom fighter.
Unlike the Dedan Kimathi Monument, it is Mboya’s monument that has become a corner of inspiration and a symbol of struggle for Kenyans.
Mboya, even after his assassination on 5 July 1969, has remained omnipresent in the country’s journey. His presence is so significant and pronounced that it surpasses even that of the founding fathers: the first president, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta; the first vice-president, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga; and the second president, the late Daniel Arap Moi. Kenyans interact with Mboya in their day-to-day lives and, around him, they have formed a congregation.
The Congregation
At the Tom Mboya Monument, the congregation includes sports lovers, including the mighty Gor Mahia fans, who gather at the facility to seek the founder’s blessings before departing for the stadium for a game.
At the monument, Gor Mahia fans sing, dance, and provoke and invoke the spirit of the late Tom Mboya and the magician Gor K’Ogalo ahead of any game.
After the game, fans return to the monument to honour TJ Mboya for delivering victory and appease his spirit.
It is a drama-filled and fun-filled moment, with onlookers gathering to watch and also join in the songs, dirges and dances.
The Political Class
The TJ Mboya Monument has remained a gathering point for freedom fighters. The facility remains at the heart of the country’s political celebrations and struggles.
It is where all political roads lead and converge. From demonstrators to celebrators, people congregate at the Tom Mboya Monument. The congregants draw inspiration from the monument, and for the political class, it is a place of convergence.
Business and Tourist Destination
Apart from its political and sporting significance, the monument has established itself as a business and tourist destination.
Many local and international tourists visit the facility for photo sessions, while for the business community, it serves as a calling point.
Overview
The Tom Mboya Monument is a prominent bronze landmark standing roughly 20 metres from the exact spot where Tom Mboya was assassinated on 5 July 1969.
Creation and Unveiling: Designed by sculptor Oshottoe Ondula at a cost of KSh20,000,000, the statue was officially unveiled on 19 October 2011 by the late President Mwai Kibaki.
Restoration: The monument fell into disrepair around 2019. It underwent cleaning and refurbishment, with a newly restored version unveiled in April 2021 and subsequent updates following support from local initiatives.
Significance: Tom Mboya (1930–1969) was a key Kenyan independence leader, trade union organiser, Pan-Africanist, and Minister for Economic Planning and Development who played a crucial role in shaping early post-independence Kenya.
While the Nairobi monument honours his legacy near his assassination site, his final resting place is a mausoleum on Rusinga Island in Homa Bay County.
Why It Is Special
An analyst, Victor Kochogo, wrote:
“Why it remains special:
Unfinished business. As the late Prof. Bethwell Ogot said, Mboya represented the Kenya we planned versus the Kenya we got. His African Socialism in Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965 — growth with equity, not just growth — was watered down after independence. The monument reminds Kenyans of that fork in the road.
He was the bridge generation. Trade unionist, Pan-Africanist, architect of the airlift programme that took Obama Sr., Wangari Maathai and others to the US, and negotiator of independence. He embodied competence over tribe at a time when we were trying to build a nation, not a coalition of tribes.
The martyrdom factor. Like Pio Gama Pinto and J.M. Kariuki, his assassination in 1969 at the age of 38 froze him as forever young, incorruptible and full of possibility. Kenyans don’t mourn only the man; they mourn what died with him.
It’s in the middle of the hustle. On Moi Avenue, among hawkers, workers and students — exactly the people he organised as a trade unionist. It’s not isolated in a museum. People interact with it daily.
So when Kenyans stop there, they are not just remembering Mboya. They are asking: What if his vision had succeeded?”**
Mr Alphy Owino also wrote:
“Tom Mboya’s monument remains special to Kenyans because it represents more than an individual; it symbolises vision, courage, intellect and a generation of leaders who dared to think beyond their time.
Mboya understood that Kenya’s independence would only be meaningful if it translated into education, economic empowerment and opportunities for ordinary citizens. His role in the airlift programme opened doors for many African students to study abroad and contribute to nation-building.
His monument also reminds us of a painful national reality: Kenya lost a brilliant, promising leader too early.
Decades later, his legacy continues to challenge us with one fundamental question: Are we producing leaders who serve the nation and invest in future generations, or those who serve their own interests?”
