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| Some Mau Mau war veterans in London in 2010. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD] |
KENYA: When the British Government decided to compensate Mau Mau-era detainees in an out-of-court settlement, Ms Esther Njeri was ready for her share of the Sh2.6 billion payout.
The 74-year-old from Thuita village in Githunguri, Kiambu, says she was among the 5,228 beneficiaries shortlisted as a genuine Mau Mau detainee. She is now protesting that she did get the Sh340,000 each person was entitled to.
Njeri is blaming Mau Mau
War Veterans Association officials in her village for her woes,
alleging they hid a notification letter given to her by British
representatives who jetted into the country to verify fighters who
deserved compensation. The document was her only confirmation that she
was entitled to the share of the money released in June this year and
announced by British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Bank account
Members
were to attach their bank account numbers and present it to local
officials for signing to okay the deposit of the cash in their accounts.
The woman who said her role was to cook and serve freedom fighters, was
tortured and detained for months during the struggle for independence.
“I
was the first person to be interviewed by the British officials who
were here to verify who are genuine and who are not,” she said.
“I was given a notification and I was told I would use it while claiming my share once the money was out,” she added.
Njeri
said on the day she was to go for the signing, she sent her husband
Njihia Ngaruiya, 86, also a beneficiary, to take the notification
document with him for signing.
This was the last time she was to see a document she had treasured and knew it was her way to receive the money.
But
she is not alone; according to area acting Chief Samuel Njoroge, he has
heard of several other similar cases although they have not been
officially reported to his office. “Word has been going around that a
number genuine fighters who were entitled to compensation did not get
their money when others did,” he said.
“(They) have been accusing their officials of an alleged plot to see they don’t get it,” he added.
Sued government
Mau Mau
veterans sued the British government for torturing and mistreating them
during the 1952-1960 nationalist uprising where they were demanding
compensation, an apology and a monument, which was granted to them.
Njeri maintains she is a genuine Mau Mau fighter and even displayed a membership card for the Mau Mau
War Veteran Association and a certificate of participation. She also
had slips with letter heads of the Gitu Kahengeri-led organisation
showing her remittance of Sh120 annual membership renewal fee.
Ngaruiya
received his share on a Friday and said when he gave his wife’s letter
to the Chairman and Treasurer, they said asked for a Kikuyu-translated
notification. Since he did not have one, they allegedly said she would
not get paid.
At first he had believed them because they had
notifications written in both languages though with the same message
until a veteran who was behind him presented a notification in English
similar to that of his wife’s and got it signed, approving payment.
“I
asked why they were discriminating against my wife and they later said
they would sign it. They kept me the whole day (Friday),” he recalls.
“The treasurer, who is a neighbour, said she would have it done and
bring it to me. She never did.”
The Monday that followed, the
officials denied having received any document from Njihia. That was the
beginning of Njeri’s agony. The couple has tried to have a meeting with
the officials in the company on an arbitrator but they have declined to
honour summons.
The media sought a comment from the Treasurer,
Mary Wambui, who we found in the company of other local officials at the
local chief’s offices where she had been summoned over the issue.
They
declined to comment and instead threatened to report the journalists or
beat them with sticks for following the story. The meeting flopped
after the Mau Mau association’s chairman declined to attend. The area chief directed the aggrieved couple to take the matter to the local Mau Mau office.
Mr
Kahengeri, the association Secretary General, said the matter has not
been brought to his attention so he cannot say much about the issue.
He,
however, said it was not possible for any official to pocket someone’s
money since their lawyers were transacting the deal. He advised that
local officials handle the matter amicably.
“If, indeed, Njeri and
other people who qualified to get the money did not, their local
chairman should help,” he said. “And if that flops, we can use the human
rights bodies to follow her case. If she is genuine, her money must be
somewhere.”
Row erupted
After the release of the funds, a row erupted over the list of veterans
to be compensated by the British government over alleged abuse under the
hands of colonial officers.
Mau Mau
War Veterans Association said there were many people who fought for
independence who are not in the list of those who would be compensated
and petitioned UK to carry out further interviews with the victims to
ascertain their exact number. But Kahengeri said not all freedom
fighters are eligible to get a share of the compensation.
“There are very many Mau Mau organisations and only those registered under the Mau Mau
War Veterans Association were eligible,” he said. “The Britain
interviewed over 15,000 people and only took 5,000 who were tortured in
detention.”
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