British Apology/Compensation to Freedom Fighters in Kenya

The British arrived at an out-of-court settlement with the Mau Mau, the Kikuyu freedom fighters in Kenya, over oppression that they experienced during the colonial time. A research by a Harvard graduate student on Mau Mau survivors in Kenya and the documents released by the British from the colonial detention camps showed “the systematic torture of male and female detainees.”

The researcher found that the British accused and punished the Mau Mau for killings that they did not commit. The British also kept the documents from the colonial detention campus in secrecy, and it was a challenge for the Mau Mau rebels to provide proof of what happened to them in detention camps.

The British government agreed to pay reparations of over $20 million to the Mau Mau survivors, approximately $ 4,000 per person.  While some Kenyans wonder if this compensation is enough, the British government fear that this incident might trigger other British colonies to request for compensation.