Kenya’s Mau Mau seeks $2.2 trillion for Britain's colonial atrocities

Across the East African nation of Kenya, whispers of a painful past still echo.

For the dwindling band of Mau Mau freedom fighters, the scars of British colonial rule are not distant memories but living wounds demanding redress.

Now after decades of silence, they are raising their voices in a chorus of defiance, demanding a staggering 364 trillion Kenyan shillings (approximately $2.2 trillion) in reparations from Britain for the atrocities they endured.

The Mau Mau movement, a resistance movement against colonial oppression, faced a relentless campaign of violence and intimidation by the British authorities.

The horrors endured by the Mau Mau fighters included torture, imprisonment and death as they valiantly stood against the oppressive colonial regime.

Torture, loss and the legacy of pain

It was due to the ambushes from the guerilla group that Kenya gained independence from the British, but it was also a time of unimaginable suffering which became etched in the minds of survivors like Grace Wanjiru.

Now in her late eighties, her eyes crinkle with a lifetime of sorrow as she recounts the horrors of the detention camps.

"They whipped us," she said in a raspy voice. "They forced us to do unimaginable things. We lost family, friends and our dignity, all for daring to dream of freedom."

Wanjiru is not alone, Cyprian Mutiga, 88, recounted a nightmarish past of forced labour and physical and psychological abuse in detention camps.

"We endured unimaginable hardships during the colonial period. Many of our comrades lost their lives, and those who survived carry the physical and emotional scars to this day," he said.

"Asking for reparations is not just about us, it is about ensuring that future generations understand the sacrifices made for Kenya's independence. The compensation will provide a semblance of justice for the atrocities we endured.”

Cry for recognition and justice

Joseph Ngacha Karani is the chairman of the Mau Mau Original Trust lobby group and speaks for hundreds of veterans grappling with a legacy of pain.

He told Anadolu news agency that the demand for reparations is for recognition and justice for the Mau Mau veterans who endured pain and sacrifices in their struggle for Kenya's freedom.

"Our demand for reparations is not just a plea for economic restitution, it is a resounding cry for recognition and justice, acknowledging the pain and sacrifices of Mau Mau veterans in the pursuit of Kenya's freedom," he said.

"This isn't just about money," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "It's about acknowledging the trauma, the systematic torture, the lives shattered by a regime that treated us like animals."

Karani noted that the impassioned plea seeks not only acknowledgment but also a commitment to rectify past wrongs and ensure fair and just treatment.

He said it represents a profound yearning for dignity, equality and the rewriting of a narrative that has often been overshadowed by oppression.

Unanswered questions and the weight of colonial shadows

Maina Mwangi, another veteran, reflected on how the colonial authorities conducted a ruthless campaign of repression, herding thousands into barbed-wire cages and subjecting them to forced labour and physical and psychological torture.

He bears the physical and mental scars to this day. He lost his father and relatives during that time. He said that unanswered questions still linger like ghosts from the colonial past, casting a shadow that refuses to dissipate. To this day, like many Kenyans, he still seeks the truth about the hero of the Mau Mau, Dedan Kimathi .

"Where is his grave?" Mwangi asked, his voice echoing the unanswered question that haunts many.

Kimathi, executed during the reign of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, is a Kenyan hero who is a symbol of resistance. The whereabouts of his remains and final resting place are only known by the British government that executed him.

"It is a question we have asked for many years and an unresolved injustice," he said.

Urgency of reparations and Kenyan artifacts

The British government has offered some apologies and limited compensation in the past. But for the Mau Mau veterans, it's a gesture that pales in comparison to the depth of their wounds.

The freedom fighters say that the urgency of reparations is going in line with the advancing age of many Mau Mau veterans who, in their twilight years, seek redress not only for themselves but with a desire to alleviate the burdens faced by their families.

"It's more than just a financial claim. It's a desperate plea to heal the wounds, to give voice to the silenced, and to ensure that their tale of sacrifice and struggle is not buried in history," Karani said.

Wanjiru noted that "we may be old, but our spirits are unbroken. We fought for freedom then, and we fight for justice now. This is not over –– not until we find healing, not until the weight of historical injustices is lifted from our shoulders."

Kenya also seeks to reclaim its cultural heritage with calls for the return of stolen artefacts scattered across the globe, a move that the freedom fighters have also supported.

Among them are skulls taken from Kenyan communities during the colonial era, carved stone sculptures and figurines, and personal items like ceremonial robes and weapons belonging to revered leaders.

There are also other artifacts often imbued with spiritual significance that were used in rituals and ceremonies, connecting the living to their deceased ancestors.

In 2022, Kenyans took their quest for justice and reparations to the European Court of Human Rights, filing a lawsuit against Britain for colonial abuses perpetrated by British settlers.

Joel Kimutai Bosek, the group's lawyer, while speaking to the media said he told the court that the UK's persistent evasion of accountability prompted the decision to bring the matter to court.

Historians contend that the resistance mounted by the Mau Mau rebel group played a pivotal role in hastening the end of the colonial rule in Kenya.