If you have ever walked past the Supreme Court of Kenya in Nairobi, you may have noticed a strange figure at the entrance: a bronze statue of a naked boy clutching a fish.

For many Kenyans and visitors alike, the sight raises questions. Why is such a statue placed at the country’s highest court? What does it mean? And why does it continue to stir debate decades after its unveiling?

From colonial memorial to national landmark

The statue is officially known as the Hamilton Fountain. Gertrude Hamilton commissioned it in the late 1930s in memory of her husband, Alexander George Hamilton, a colonial figure who died in 1937.

Installed during the colonial era, the fountain was placed prominently outside the High Court, now the Supreme Court. Over the years, it has become a permanent feature of the courthouse architecture, so much so that the building and the fountain are now protected as heritage monuments.

The symbolism of the fountain

The Hamilton Fountain depicts a blindfolded, naked boy wearing a judge’s wig and holding a fish in his arms.

Around him, jets of water spurt from the fountain, with turtles positioned at its base, creating the impression that the boy himself is diving into the pool.
While the design may appear comical or even unsettling to some, its creators intended it as an allegory of justice.

The nakedness suggests transparency and truth, the blindfold is a long-recognised symbol of impartiality, the judge’s wig ties the piece to the law, and the fish represents something slippery and hard to hold, just like justice.

The imagery reminds viewers that justice is pure, impartial, elusive, and must be handled carefully to avoid escape.

The divided opinions

Over time, the Hamilton Fountain has sparked mixed reactions. For some, it is a fascinating piece of Kenya’s judicial history, a reminder of its journey from colonial legal traditions to an independent judiciary.

For others, it feels like a relic of foreign domination, awkwardly out of place in modern Kenya. Several petitions have been filed over the years demanding its removal, with critics arguing that a naked boy outside the Supreme Court is inappropriate.

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Yet defenders of the fountain insist that as a gazetted heritage monument, it carries cultural and historical value that cannot be erased lightly.

Today, the fountain still stands at the Supreme Court, provoking curiosity, laughter, debate, and sometimes discomfort.

For passersby who encounter it without context, the sight may be baffling. But with its history and symbolism understood, the Hamilton Fountain becomes more than a strange colonial-era relic.

It serves as a conversation. However, after an artistic reminder of the nature of justice, blind, transparent, slippery, and always pursued with care.