Former President Uhuru Kenyatta gave Kenyans a rare glimpse into his post-state house life on Wednesday, November 11, when he attended the memorial mass for his first cousin Beatrice Wambui Muturi at PCEA Nairobi West Church.
Standing before those gathered, he offered a disarmingly simple description of how he now spends his days.
“I have retired. I live in Ichaweri – sina mambo mengi,” he told mourners.
The candid moment, captured on video and widely circulated online, painted the picture of a man who has consciously stepped back from the noise of Kenyan politics since handing over power in 2022.
Inside the Kenyatta family’s ancestral home
Ichaweri, tucked within Gatundu South in Kiambu county, holds deep meaning for the Kenyatta family. It was to this compound that founding president Jomo Kenyatta returned after his release from colonial detention, with colonial authorities eventually rebuilding the original house for him.
The estate expanded over the decades into a sprawling multi-residence compound, and since Uhuru’s departure from State House, it has served as his primary base.
As a mark of respect for the returning former head of state, the access road leading to the gates was tarmacked after 2022.
Security at the compound is no casual affair.
High perimeter walls topped with electric fencing surround the entire grounds, and a combination of private guards and state security personnel strictly controls who enters. Unauthorised visitors and those attempting to film the premises are turned away without hesitation.
Beyond the gates, however, the atmosphere shifts considerably.
Broad, well-kept lawns roll out beneath a canopy of mature indigenous and exotic trees, with carefully shaped hedges carving out private outdoor spaces suited to family gatherings or quiet reflection.
Uhuru maintains a working office within the compound and has received diplomats, African Union envoys and peace-process delegations there, continuing a tradition of consequential conversations that began when Jomo himself held important discussions at the same address.
At the spiritual centre of Ichaweri stands St John the Baptist Chapel, a structure with roots stretching back to a smaller place of worship that Jomo commissioned in 1971.
Mama Ngina Kenyatta oversaw the construction of the current building on those original foundations.
Nairobi Metropolitan Archbishop Philip Anyolo consecrated the chapel in December 2023, and it is noted for its fine woodwork and stained-glass windows, offering the family a private sanctuary that also serves as a memorial to the founding president’s faith.
Despite occasional high-profile visits from continental figures, Uhuru’s message about his retirement remains consistent: he is at Ichaweri, listening, and keeping things simple.
The compound is at once a fortress of family history and the quiet rural retreat its current owner has wholeheartedly embraced.
