Government launches Mau Mau census after Gachagua remarks
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Government launches census to track Mau Mau fighters and their descendants to establish a proper register
Government launches census to track Mau Mau fighters and their descendants to establish a proper register.
On Saturday, June 3, the government announced a consensus to follow Mau Mau combatants and their descendants in order to develop a proper registry and compensation plan.
The government claimed that despite having fought for their nation’s liberation 60 years prior, Mau Mau veterans lived in appalling conditions.
According to Njogu Githinji, a member of the Kikuyu Council of Elders, impersonators disguised themselves as freedom fighters. Hence made it difficult for the government to roll out its compensation plan.
“Many people call themselves Mau Mau, but we are very few. Not everyone who calls himself a Mau Mau is one,” Githinji stated while addressing the press in Nyeri.
He questioned why over seven groups were registered as Mau Mau fighters in Nyeri County alone, with a membership of more than 5,000 veterans – wondering whether all groups fought for the country’s independence.
Wambui Mwangi, a curator at Nyeri Museum, further lamented that it was difficult to differentiate the two groups in government meetings.
“They refer to themselves as Mau Mau. We have other groups which have stood firm and don’t want to associate themselves with the other,” she stated.
“Most of these people claiming to be Mau Mau are not the real ones. They are sons, and daughters of the veterans, advising the need to have the census for government to acknowledge and compensate them.”
The veterans sought compensation from the British and Kenyan governments, with President William Ruto and his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, promising to fight for their rights.
On May 13, during the burial of Mau Mau veteran and Dedan Kimathi’s wife, Mukami Kimathi, in Nyandarua County, Gachagua implored Ruto to coordinate with the British government to allow for the exhumation of the remains of Mau Mau fighter Dedan Kimathi.
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He added that Mukami Kimathi had pleaded with the government to give his husband a better send-off.
“We urge you, with all respect, to listen to the cry of the elders. These men say they know where Dedan Kimathi was buried. If you agree, let them show us where the grave is so we can bury him better,” Gachagua stated, with Ruto promising to look into it.
However, the rise of splinter Mau Mau groups threatens the compensation plan, with former Mungiki sect leader, Maina Njenga and Gachagua trading salvos and claiming to be the real freedom fighters.
Njenga’s house was raided a day before Mukami Kimathi’s burial, with the former Mungiki leader converted to a pastor, accusing the government of a witchhunt. He, however, accompanied Azimio La Umoja leader, Raila Odinga to the funeral, with the latter publicly confronting Ruto and his deputy.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, in his response, vowed to deal with outlawed gangs, including the Mungiki sect, which he claimed were resurging.
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