A fresh legal battle has been launched at the High Court in Nairobi as Mau Mau veterans seek justice for atrocities they say were committed under the leadership of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta.
The case, filed before Justice Chacha Mwita, is being fronted by thirty petitioners led by 90-year-old Joseph Mwenda, who identified himself as Field Marshal Mwariama.
The petitioners claim that although Mau Mau fighters played a central role in winning Kenya’s independence, Kenyatta’s government later turned against them.
They argue that instead of receiving land and recognition, they were branded terrorists, subjected to police brutality, and pushed into poverty.
Mwenda recalled the disillusionment that came after Kenyatta publicly declared there would be no free land allocations for ex-fighters. He said that from 1961 to 1965, many Mau Mau leaders were either jailed or eliminated.
Among those killed were General Baimungi Marete and General Chui, whose bodies, he claimed, were paraded in public to send a message of fear.
Mwenda also recounted how his own property, including land and a vehicle, was confiscated after he was imprisoned on what he insists were trumped-up charges.
The petition further argues that Kenyatta’s administration deliberately tried to erase Mau Mau history and silence calls for land reforms.
According to the group, this policy of neglect has been continued by successive governments, leaving veterans and their families without compensation or official recognition.
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