Grandchildren of Mau Mau fighters to get scholarships, says Makueni governor Kibwana

Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana has revealed the County’s intention to give full scholarships to grandchildren of Mau Mau veterans who fought for Kenya’s independence.

Kibwana said freedom fighters’ children failed to get better education since their fathers were busy deep in the forest fighting.

“We are going to enroll their grandchildren to scholarship programs for them to get education since their grandfathers couldn’t afford educate their fathers due to busy days in the forests fighting,” said Kibwana.

Speaking during public participation with the remaining few Mau Mau veterans at Kwa Kathoka ATC, he said the freedom fighters are yet to benefit for what they fought for and that they continue to languish in poverty, years after Kenya got her independence.

“We are in the process of identifying all the remaining Mau Mau fighters, we are going to put them in business programs that are easy to be managed”, Kibwana said.

He called on Kamba council of elders to intervene on situations where the aged are frustrated by younger members in society.

They also asked the national government to put them on a special program and ensure they all get enrolled into the ongoing cash transfer program since some them were not in the “Pesa ya Wazee” program.

“We have not benefited from the government, there was a meeting that had been planned on May 25 with the president at Thika, however, it was aborted at the last minute but we want the government to support us in terms of money and plots-that’s what we fought for”, said John Mutuku Nzioka, a freedom fighter.

According freedom fighters who spoke to The Standard, Mau Mau was introduced in Ukambani by Ngwili Ndaisi in 1948 after his brother who was working with a colonial road construction Authority was killed by the colonizers.

Ndaisi would later meet fighters from central region who introduced him to the group and would use it to seek for justice.