Nyayo House is a skyscraper in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

, Kenya. It hosts several government departments such as immigration (the

State Department for Immigration, Border Control, and Regulation of Persons State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

) and also serves as the headquarters of

Nairobi Province Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

. The building is located at the corner of

Uhuru Highway Uhuru (a Swahili word meaning ''freedom'') may refer to: People *Uhuru Hamiter (born 1973), American football player *Uhuru Kenyatta (born 1961), President of Kenya since 2013 Places *Uhuru (Tanzanian ward), an administrative ward in the Dodoma ...

and Kenyatta Avenue. It is 84 metres high and has 27 floors Planning of the tower started in 1973 and it was initially set to be named as Nairobi House. Construction started in 1979, one year after

Daniel arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He was the country's longest-serving president. Moi previously served as the third vice ...

took over as the president of Kenya. Building of the house was completed in 1983. The building was planned by Ministry of Public Works, Ngotho Architects and constructed by Laxmanbhai Construction. Nyayo House is particularly known for its detention facilities in its basement, often called as "Nyayo House torture chambers". Many opponents of the

Moi Moi or MOI may refer to: People * Moi (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Moisés Delgado (born 1994), Spanish footballer commonly known as simply Moi * Moisés Rodríguez (born 1997), Spanish footballer commonly known as s ...

government were beaten there by

Special Branch Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security and Intelligence (information gathering), intelligence in Policing in the United Kingdom, British, Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, ...

officials (the Special Branch was later renamed the

National Security Intelligence Service ) , nativename = Huduma ya Ujasusi ya Kitaifa , nativename_r = , logo = NSIS Flag.png , logo_width = 200px , logo_caption = Flag of the NSIS , seal = NSIS Emblem.png, 140px , seal_width = 200px , seal_captio ...

). Some of the known detainees at Nyayo House were

George Anyona George Moseti Anyona (1945–2003) was a politician from Kenya. Despite being born to peasant parents, Anyona rose to prominence in the Kenyan political landscape to be thrice elected to the Kenyan Parliament representing the people of Kitutu ...

, Wahome Mutahi and

Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya sin ...

After the Moi era the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) investigated Nyayo House torture cases and several victims, including politician

Koigi wa Wamwere Koigi wa Wamwere (born 18 December 1949 in Rugongo, Nakuru District) is a Kenyan politician, human rights activist, journalist and writer. Koigi became famous for opposing both the Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi regimes, both of whom sent hi ...

have been compensated. Another detainee, musician

Ochieng Kabaselleh Ochieng is an African name. People with this name include: * Bernard Ochieng, Kenyan footballer * Collins Ochieng (born 1987), Kenyan footballer * Daudi Ochieng (1925–1966), Ugandan politician * David Ochieng (born 1992), Kenyan footballer * Dunc ...

died soon after he was released, allegedly due to injuries caused by torture. The former torture chambers have now been opened to the general public. Nyayo House is also infamous for the amount for

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

by various state officials.

Gallery

File:Nyayo.jpg

References

{{coord, 1.2869, S, 36.8181, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:KE, display=title Government buildings completed in 1983 Buildings and structures in Nairobi Skyscraper office buildings in Kenya 1980s in Nairobi