The song itself features an unusual opening beat from ex-Babyshambles drummer Gemma Clarke and is recognised for guitarist Patrick Walden's "messy" style of play and frontman Pete Doherty's distinctive vocals.

The title is a pun on the name of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and further mixes in the song's lyrics about "kill[ing] a man for his giro" – a bank deposit method often associated with British unemployment benefits.

The track was released as a single, and subsequently included on the album Down in Albion with different production (Mick Jones) and a different drummer (Adam Ficek) from the original.

The circumstances of the recording of the song for the album were remarked upon by Babyshambles bass player Drew McConnell on 5 November 2005 in the New Musical Express: "We weren't planning on having 'Killamangiro' on there.

The video for "Killamangiro" features orange tinted live footage of the band on stage, with snippets of Doherty walking down a street, out of a shop, mock hanging himself with his mic cord, flicking through a magazine, and driving along in a car (complete with a Christmas tree air freshener).