Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has intervened in the Mau Mau land row which has been going on for a long time.
Speaking at Nairobi hospital on Sunday, January 15, where he had visited Mukami Kimathi, freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi’s widow, who had been detained over Ksh1.3 million hospital bill, he urged every Kenyan who collaborated with colonizers to take away the heroes' land to surrender them.
Even if the land could not be recovered fully, the DP pleaded with the hoarders to give back part of it.
“The president and I are into this matter. A lot of consultations are going on to deliberate on the fate of the heroes of our freedom struggle.
I want to urge all those Kenyans and collaborators who betrayed Mau Mau if God could touch their hearts for them to surrender the thousands of acres they hoard, all the idle lands, as our freedom fighters who fought for the freedom of this country are suffering we request them if they could agree to surrender even if it is a half of the land they hoard,” he pleaded.
The second in command blamed the previous government of former President Uhuru Kenyatta for forsaking the freedom fighters and their families.
“This is just one of the many cases that face the heroes of our freedom struggle. The previous government has not been in a position to address this matter exclusively,” he noted.
Gachagua, who was speaking after president Ruto cleared Mukami’s hospital bill, announced that the Kenya Kwanza government would ensure that cases related to that of Mukami in matters of health would no longer be experienced in the country.
“One of our pillars is universal health coverage for we have made changes in the National Hospital Insurance Fund(NHIF) with a view of introducing a scheme where every Kenyan is covered so that such situations like the one we are having here today with Mukami Kimathi should not happen again,” he uttered.
The ex-Mathira MP constantly describes himself as the son of Mau Mau since his parents fought for independence.
“My father was a technician. He used to service guns for the Mau Mau while my mother provided them with food and ammunition,” he revealed during a past interview.
Mau Mau veterans asked Ruto to allocate them land. They explained how 59 years after helping to secure the country’s independence, most of them have been languishing in abject poverty.
“Since 1963 only a few wealthy people who did not take part in the struggle have benefitted from land compensation. Most of us, the actual Mau Mau freedom fighters, have never owned a piece of land and as we speak we do not have land where we can be buried should we die,” they pleaded.
In a new plea made on January 12, they demanded a settlement of Ksh364 trillion from the British Government over torture inflicted on them during the colonial period.
“We have calculated what the British Government owes us, which is Ksh364 trillion. It can seem like a hefty sum but it is a fair amount considering the atrocities and pilfering that was committed during the colonial period,” they noted.
