History of Kenya

in 1963 kenya became independent.

 

Imperial War Museum sound archive #30268. 

 

  Key words: Kenya/Mau Mau/terrorism/freedom fighters/colonial rule/Mt Kenya White Highlands/Mt Kenya Crown Forest .

 

The Imperial War Museum recently recorded my recollections of 18 months in the Mt Kenya forest back in 1955/56 as a 17-year-old fighting the Mau Mau gangs above Nanyuki, Meru and Embu.  I had been farming at around 8,900 feet on the edge of that forest when the request came from the Kenya authorities to report to Nairobi and collect my jungle outfit , Bren gun and Patchett machine carbines.  I was then named Tracker Team Leader 12 (later Tracker 6 and finally Tracker 1) and given about 20 non-Mau Mau tribe askaris, mostly Kipsigis and Samburu and Kamba for continuous forest patrols.

 

The recordings extend over about 6 hours on 5 CDs archived as #30268.  The Sound Archive telephone number at the Imperial War Museum is +44 20 7416 5365.  Best contact would be Richard McDonough on rmcdonough@iwm.org.uk

 

By contrast, a few years later I was an undergrad at UCLA in the Political Science Department.

 

Tim Symonds

tim.symonds@shevolution.com