NAIROBI,Kenya, Dec, 13 – Following the end of the second world war in 1945, a wave of change spread across the world with countries, particularly in Africa and Asia which were under colonial rule from various European nations sought to break free and achieve total independence.
By the late 1940s, the shrinking British empire had given up control of its most prized possession in Asia, the British Raj, which was later partitioned into modern day India and Pakistan in 1947.
Independence fever creeped into the African continent and colonial Kenya under British rule was among several nations that sought self-determination. Breaking the yoke of colonialism became a rallying call for freedom.
In the early 1950s, armed resistance was witnessed across the country but mostly within urban centres where the brutal colonial regime is said to have domiciled its power. Freedom fighters across the country had resoundingly committed themselves to ending imperial rule in Kenya.
As the independence struggle gained momentum, the colonial government led by Evelyn Baring declared a state of emergency in 1952. Shortly after operation, ‘Jock Scott’ was commissioned as the colonial government sought to suppress the Mau Mau resistance in the process suspending Africans from political activities while embarking on mass arrests of suspected rebels including founding father, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
Operation Anvil And The Brutal Torture of Kenyans By The British
In 1954, the British colonial government appeared to have been over-powered by Kenyan freedom fighters with many assuming that the battle could have been won sooner considering that Britain possessed sophisticated military expertise and weaponry.
As the agitation for independence intensified, majority of the freedom fighters retreated into the forest of the Abderdares and Mt. Kenya hoping to out-wit and tact the colonial troops.
Meanwhile, the colonial government continued its brutal crackdown on the fighters further intensifying regular patrols to curtail the provision of supplies to suspected fighters from Nairobi.
25,000 members of British security forces under the control of General George Erskine were deployed as Nairobi was sealed off and underwent a sector-by-sector purge.
Thousands of Kenyans believed to be part of the Mau Mau were arrested and taken to detention facilities often at times referred to as, ‘the pipeline’.
The Lang’ata Concentration Camp Or Screening Camp
During this year’s Jamhuri Day Celebrations, president Uhuru Kenyatta revisited the dark history behind the concentration camps which he likened to those operated by Nazi Germany.
At the camp which now sits at the famous newly revamped Uhuru Gardens, Kenyatta revealed that the British colonial government had imprisoned an estimated, “10,000 of our gallant and most feared liberators were confined in this camp at some point or another,”
At the camps, Kenyan freedom fighters are said to have undergone horrific treatment, including being tortured for information that would serve the colonial masters who sought to curtail the agitation for independence. scores of Kenyans are said to have died as a result of the inhumane treatment meted on them.
“Langata Camp has been described in the books of history as resembling the Nazi Camps in Germany, both in its psychological warfare and its methods of brutality. In fact, using ‘quack scientists’, the colonizers argued that devotion to the cause of Mau Mau was a mental illness. And the only way to deal with it was by creating mass detention camps where ‘shock therapy’ and torture would be administered as a cure. And that was part of the logic they used to create the Lang’ata Concentration Camp where we are seated today,” said President Kenyatta.
Similar detention facilities were located across the country where liberators were subjected to unimaginable treatment. This however did not deter them as they remained resilient until Kenya gained independence and eventually became a republic.
Independent Kenya And The Significance Of Uhuru Gardens
“Why did our Founding Fathers choose Uhuru Gardens as the place to celebrate Independence Day in 1963 and the republic status in 1964?” posed Kenyatta.
The Lang’ata concentration camp was rehabilitated and morphed into a place of remembrance with the founding fathers advising that it should serve as a reminder of Kenya’s dark colonial past. That darkness can be turned into positive energy.
“But there are other reasons why our Founding Fathers brought us to this place of national remembrance. Each time we gather here, they wanted us to face our national fears and demons with courage. More so because, no condition is permanent. They wanted us to “…never question in the dark, decisions we made in the light”. Mainly because the long walk to freedom was a walk of faith,”
The new look Uhuru Gardens will now host a variety of facilities including: The Heroes Boulevard, an arena where the past, the present and the future will converge. Freedom fighters will be edified and the sacrifice to freedom explained.
And at the end of the boulevard, there will be the tomb of the unknown warrior.
“A warrior whose name we do not know, although he died in battle for our country. A warrior whose mother let him go, and both mother and son sacrificed so that we can be free. Once completed, this place of history will rekindle memories of our armed struggle, but also the good, the bad and the ugly of our history,” said Kenyatta.
At the Hall of Legends,our legendary ancestors including Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Mekatilili wa Menza, Koitalel arap Samoei, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Nabongo Mumia among others are expected to be,’’brought alive’.
At the Tunnel of Martys, a solemn memorial to each and every Kenyan who lost their lives in the many watershed moments will be set tup.
“These will range from the First to Second World War all the way to the victims of the post-election violence of 2008,”
In the Rope Gallery of the museum, a named rope will be dedicated to every one of the 1,090 heroic souls that were hanged during the colonial era while at the Moments of Darkness Gallery the histories of our lowest moments, the moments that we regret but are part of our history shall be displayed.
“But not all galleries display sad news. The Hall of Innovation in this museum will celebrate the brilliant and game-changing 17 ideas produced by Kenyans. This Hall will speak to the coming future and how our past has guided it. The Hall that is just behind me, marked by a spear pointing up, characterizes our latest exploits, our moments of great hope and national pride, and our bold path into the future,”
Uhuru Gardens now seeks to embody Kenya’s history, becoming an illumination of the future, weaved in hope, written in pictures, sculptures and historical artifacts.
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