Was the Mau Mau Compensation a Mockery or a Win?

Of all the compensations that have been made by nations that caused war and torture in some parts of  the world, the Mau Mau, the freedom fighters in Kenya, seems to have received the least amount of money for reparations from the British government. After enduring a torture for 60 years, the British agreed to pay $4, 000 to each of the 5,228 Mau Mau survivors.  To some Ugandan’s, this was a mockery!

 The Mau Mau veterans first filed allegations against the British government in 1999 and some of them died before the British government took action. Some sources argue that the British government dragged this issue so that few claimants would be remaining by the time the court gives its verdict.

The compensation that was made to the Mau Mau veterans cannot benefit them much because of the rising cost of living in Kenya. But to some veterans, receiving justice was more satisfying and they see this compensation as a win because the British acknowledged that they were not rebels.

The Mau Mau was the first group to ask for colonial reparations from the British government and other people who suffered under the British rule in India and Malaysia might follow suit.