UK/Kenya: UK accused of torture in Kenya during the 1950s and 1960s

last updated Apr 12, 2011

The UK government has released a large number of documents from former colonial administrations which show human rights abuses against members of the Mau Mau, an anti-colonial group striving for independence from the British colonialists in the 1950s and 1960s. The documents were flown from Kenya on the eve of independence in 1963 and coincide with a current trial at the High Court in which four Kenyans are demanding compensation for human rights violations at the time.

The British colonialists allegedly tortured and killed many Mau Mau members. According to the Kenyan Human Rights Commission 90,000 were executed or tortured during the crackdown and close to 160,000 detained in appalling conditions.

The four claimants were supposedly beaten, castrated and subjected to severe sexual violence. The UK government says that the amount of time since the alleged incidents does not allow for persecution. Alan Lennox-Boyd, secretary of state in Kenya at that time, repeatedly denied the allegations despite receiving secret memorandums with information about the ill-treatment of Mau Mau detainees.

The Mau Mau took a strong role in the gain of Kenya’s independence but were also accused of crimes against white farmers and British forces.

Guardian: Secret memo gave guidelines on abuse of Mau Mau in 1950s

BBC News: Kenyan Mau Mau uprising documents released

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