Doctors rule out operation for Mau Mau veterans to have bullets removed from their bodies

Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia issues Mau Mau veterans with NHIF cards at North Kinangop Catholic Mission hospital. [PHOTO BY JAMES MUNYEKI].

Only two of the seven Mau Mau veterans in the county who have bullets lodged in their bodies will have surgery, doctors have said.

The two have bullets in their legs. The rest, according to Philip Sebazugu of North Kinangop Catholic Mission Hospital, have bullets lodged in sensitive areas.

“We will carry out an operation on only two people as the bullets are not in sensitive areas. The rest will have to stay with them as some are in very sensitive areas,” he said.

The veterans are among many others who have been living with bullets in their bodies for more than 50 years. They were taken to the hospital last week for screening, courtesy of the county government.

Dr Sebazugu said they would undergo counselling.

Heroes and heroines

Governor Francis Kimemia visited the veterans on Monday and pledged to support the heroes and heroines of the Mau Mau liberation struggle.

“Part of my salary will meet their medical bills and NHIF insurance cover. A Mau Mau cash transfer payment bill will be tabled in the assembly for scrutiny and approval,” he said.

“As we celebrate Jamhuri Day, Kenyans would do well to remember the saying 'he who sips with the devil must have a long spoon'," he said in reference to how the veterans fought for Kenyans independence.

The governor said it was regrettable that the war veterans have had to live in abject poverty due to neglect by previous regimes.

“This will now be a thing of the past. Never again shall our fathers and mothers who fought for Kenya's independence be living in poverty. My administration will do everything possible to make sure that they are assisted in any way possible,” he pledged.

Mr Kimemia added that historical monuments to remember the heroes would be set up in Nyandarua in commemoration of the Mau Mau struggle as the area was one of the epicentres of the war.