An article in the Daily Mail on Friday April 8, 2011 told the story of four elderly Kenyans who have begun legal proceedings against the British government. According to the article, they claim that, during the Mau Mau Uprising in 1950s Kenya, they were tortured and sexually abused in British-run detention camps in the area. Two of the men - Ndiku Mutua and Paulo Nzili - both claim they were castrated during their detention. Jane Muthoni Mara says that she was sexually abused. All five alledge beatings and other forms of torture. Their case is supported by the Kenyan government and the Kenyan Human Rights Commission. It is believed that previously secret government documents support their claims.
The Mau Mau Uprising
The conflict known as the Mau Mau Uprising took place in Kenya, then called British East Africa, between 1952 and 1960. The Mau Mau were a group opposed to British colonial rule, dominated by members of the Kikoyu tribe, although some Kikoyu were opposed to the Mau Mau.
There had been a British presence in the area since the 1890s although it was not formally declared a province until 1920. The whole period of British involvement is marred by a history of violence, colonial oppression, and revolt. Large numbers of Kikoyu were killed, and their land taken by European settlers. Many local people were also forced by colonial legislation to become poorly-paid labourers for the settlers. However some Kikoyu who had managed to retain their lands formed ties with the colonial administration, leading to a rift with the more radical element, who were anti-colonial. During the Mau Mau uprising this rift solidified, causing some historians to categorise it as a civil war.
The uprising began when supposed Mau Mau supporters set fire to houses around Nairobi belonging to those who had refused to take the Mau Mau oath. In October 1952 a senior Kikoyu chief, Waruhui, was assassinated for speaking out against the Mau Mau. The colonial government declared a state of emergency, and Kenyan police arrested alleged Mau Mau leaders. But these actions did not derail the revolt.
Over the next few months, a number of white settlers were violently murdered on their isolated farms. It is these murders that have captured the public imagination, featuring in several films and novels, and forming the basis of most people's awareness of the Mau Mau uprising. Numerous Kikoyu who did not wish to become involved in the violence were also murdered by the Mau Mau.
Large numbers of British troops were sent to the area to eradicate the rebels, and even larger numbers of Africans were detained in labour camps, accused of supporting the Mau Mau in various ways. Even at the time, there was strong criticism of the conditions in the camps and of the treatment meted out to those detained.
Mark Curtis, in his book Web of Deceit, quotes a British colonial officer describing the camps as saying 'Short rations, overwork, brutality, humiliating and disgusting treatment and flogging — all in violation of the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights'. But reports detailing the terrible conditions were apparently ignored. Files relating to the torture of detainees were 'lost'; according to Michael Seamark's report in the Mail Online on April 6th 2011, they were secretly flown out of Kenya on the eve of independence and did not turn up again until the High Court judge in the current action ordered all relevant evidence to be produced.
The Current Stance of the British government
According to the article in the Daily Mail, Robert Jay QC, acting for the Foreign Office, told the court that the camps were administered by the colonial government, not the British, although British troops had been involved in the suppression of the revolt. The Foreign Office denies any liability, insisting that the elderly claimants have left it too late to have a case, and that responsibility lies with the Kenyan government, since all liabilities were transferred in the formation of Kenyan in 1963, when the British pulled out of the region.
Sources
- Curtis, Mark, Web Of Deceit: Britain's Real Role in the World, Vintage, 2003
- The Daily Mail, 'The Mau Mau torture claims that could cost UK millions', April 8th 2011
- Seamark, Michael, 'Castration and conspiracy: How British government covered up torture of the Mau Maus for 50 years', Mail Online, April 6th 2011
N. J. Evans - N.J. Evans lives in North Yorkshire, England and works as a freelance writer and novelist. She has a Masters Degree in Medieval Studies ...
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