This archive report was first published on 21 October 2019.
Located on the old Nyeri-Nairobi highway, Ruring'u Police Station has a rich history dating back to the colonial era. In 1952, during the height of the Mau Mau insurgency, the colonial government set up a checkpoint at Ruring'u to contain freedom fighters.
The colonial guards arrested Mau Mau fighters moving around Nyeri and those moving in and out of concentration camps. They were held in detention camps in Ruring'u and Aguthi before being taken to the colonial courts in Ruring'u, established in the 1920s.
As the number of arrested fighters increased, a police station was established to manage the situation. In 1956, the British government approached Aithiegeni clan elders to set aside 85 acres of land for the construction of key administrative structures, including the Nyeri Police Station.
The land was communally owned under clans, and the British needed to bring the locals on board, especially the collaborators. Twelve elders from the Aithiegeni clan gave up the 85 acres to the colonialists for the structures, including the Nyeri Police Station.
After Kenya gained independence in 1963, the structure was taken over by the Kenya Police, which converted it into the Central Regional K9 Unit Headquarters. Historian Antony Maina explained, 'The dog unit was previously a colonial police station. It was part of the main installations that the British built on the old Nyeri-Nairobi road.'
The station still has a rustic touch, with doors that have been renovated and painted numerous times. This year, new staff quarters and kennels were built. The station currently houses some of the country's best trained dogs, which are used during security surveillance and special criminal operations.
