Only years after establishing the Kenya colony, the British colonial government started clamping down on political dissent. Among those targeted were trade unionists who were already demanding fair treatment of Africans.
Harry Thuku was one of the freedom proponents, and on March 14, 1922, when news of his arrest, alongside George Mugekenyi and Waiganjo wa Ndotono reached the Africans in Nairobi, many headed for the Kingsway Police Station (present-day Central Police Station) where they were being held to protest.
๐๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ถ ๐๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ท๐ถ๐ฟ๐. ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ, ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ด๐ถ๐ธ๐๐๐: ๐ญ๐ด๐ต๐ฌ ๐๐ผ ๐ญ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐พ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป: โ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐? ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ ๐ป๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐! ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฝ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ? ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ธ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐!โ
This subversion of gender roles intimates that women had long challenged patriarchy that dominated traditional society.
Muthoniโs challenge to menfolk changed the course of Kenyaโs history, for as soon as she threw her taunt, the crowd charged towards the gates until the police bayonets were touching the throats of the protesters.
๐ก๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ท๐ถ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ณ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ. ๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐น๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ๐น๐ ๐ท๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ.
Today, the Harry Thuku Road stands as monument to that day of pain, but the person most vividly remembered is Nyanjiruโs selfless act of courage, and her sacrifice for her country.