Kenya Mau Mau memorial funded by UK unveiled

A UK-funded memorial to Kenyans killed and tortured by British forces during the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s has been unveiled in the Kenyan capital.

The monument is part of a 2013 out-of-court settlement by the UK government when it agreed to pay £20m ($30m) in compensation to Mau Mau veterans.
 
It also expressed "sincere regret" for abuses committed under colonial rule.

Thousands of veterans crowded into the memorial site in Nairobi to witness the historic unveiling.


The statue shows a woman handing food to a Mau Mau fighter, their faces turned away so they could not reveal the other's identity if caught by the British authorities.

Tens of thousands of Kenyans were held in detention camps during the Mau Mau campaign. Many suffered abuses including beatings, rape and castration.

"The memorial stands as a symbol of reconciliation between the British government, the Mau Mau, and all those who suffered during the emergency period," Christian Turner, the UK High Commissioner to Kenya,