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                                                                    Exhibit 31.1

                  CERTIFICATION AS REQUIRED BY RULE 13a-14(a),
                    AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE
                           SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

     I, Arthur L. Freeman, certify that:

     1. I have reviewed this report on Form 10-KSB of Harrodsburg First
Financial Bancorp, Inc.;

     2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were
made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

     3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respect the
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as
of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

     4. The small business issuer's other certifying officer and I are
responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures
(as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the small
business issuer and have:

        (a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
     disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
     ensure that material information relating to the small business issuer,
     including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others
     within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report
     is being prepared;

        (b) [omitted in accordance with SEC Release Nos. 33-8238 and 34-47986];

        (c) evaluated the effectiveness of the small business issuer's
     disclosure controls and procedures and procedures and presented in this
     report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
     and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on
     such evaluation; and

        (d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal
     control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most
     recent fiscal quarter (the small business issuer's fourth fiscal quarter in
     the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is
     reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control
     over financial reporting; and

     5. The small business issuer's other certifying officer and I have
disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control, to the small
business issuer's auditors and the audit committee of the small business
issuer's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

        (a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design
     or operation of internal control which are reasonably likely to adversely
     affect the small business issuer's ability to record, process summarize and
     report financial information; and


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        (b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
     other employees who have a significant role in the small business issuer's
     internal controls over financial reporting.

                             Date: December 23, 2003

                             /s/ Arthur L. Freeman
                             -------------------------------------
                             Arthur L. Freeman
                             Chairman and Chief Executive Officer