T H E C O V E N A N T E R
Cameronians from their spell with the 1st “Absolutely none” he said, and described
Battalion in the years 1958-1960. being first on the scene at a family farm
Until this year my reverie was where the farmer’s baby, then his wife and
undisturbed. But it was severely disturbed then he himself had been done to death in
by the showing of a programme on ways too barbaric to describe here, having
BBC TV. The programme, in “The been lured from their secure farmhouse by
Correspondent” series on the 17th tales from a trusted Kikuyu farm foreman
November 2002, was called “White Terror” about a sick horse. “It sustains me to think
and purported to reveal “new evidence” I may be after the people who did that”.
which had been “unearthed alleging British Later on I had a chance to read an account
atrocities, on such a scale that it will require of a Mau Mau oath-taking ceremony, which
the re-writing of British imperial history”. young officers operating in the bush were
The tone of such exposés is usually to not supposed to see. To learn that your
take an uncompromising line with one adversaries in an armed conflict seek to
end in view, to present all its evidence as strengthen the resolve of their fighters by
incontrovertible fact, to include one or administering oaths which involve the use
two interviews with people who are led of body parts taken without their owners
by provocative questioning to produce the consent or co-operation from, ideally,
answers required, and a transcript of this people such as yourself can concentrate
documentary shows that it was well up to the mind acutely and make you eager
scratch. not to come second in any confrontation
It was presented by one John McGhie which may take place. Each section of the
(status unknown) and featured the oath would end “or this oath will kill me”.
comments of Professor Caroline Elkins, However incredible such language might
assistant Professor of History at Harvard seem in a modern context the fact that
University. Putting aside any reservations those taking the oaths believed they might,
one may have about the idea of an America or would, die if they broke the oath, made
academic setting out to rewrite British them formidable and ruthless.
imperial history, the serious nature of By late 1955 the tide had turned. Gangs
the allegations presented which included being “bumped” in the forest were smaller,
“major human rights abuses, rape, numbers being captured or surrendering
torture, indiscriminate killing and theft of were increasing and all of them, after the
property” would startle anyone, particularly screening were offered a “cleansing oath”
people who were there at the time. Since, which would remove the death threat of
fifty years on, the allegations cover a period the Mau Mau oath.
through the mid-to late fifties and leading That same year, on several forest
up to Independence in 1963, they include operations we used Kikuyu porters, up
my own tour of duty as well as that of 1 to forty at a time, who were ex-terrorists
Cameronians. who had taken a cleansing oath. I don’t
In 1954/55 the campaign was being speak Kikuyu but my Swahili, and theirs,
conducted against bands of terrorists who was enough for them to assure me that
would strike at targets by day or night and they were content, relieved, warm and
retreat to hide in the forest. The security comfortable as well as being better clothed
forces job was to deny terrorists food and and better fed than they had been for
supplies, to protect actual and potential several years.
targets from attack, and to pursue and This contrasts starkly with the televised
apprehend bands of terrorists whenever report of screening of hard-code terrorists
and wherever encountered. which stated “people were always badly
It wasn’t a particularly gentlemanly beaten when they were being screened.
business; warfare never is, and I can recall, Some would be hardened by the beatings,
when newly arrived, asking my experienced so no matter how long they went on, they
company commander, with the moral wouldn’t confess. They’d say; “just kill
superiority that goes with complete us”.”
ignorance, if he did not have qualms The programme included the
about pursuing and perhaps eliminating information that official statistics for the
opponents who were less well organised emergency showed fatalities as around
and less well-armed than his men. 2,000 African and just over 100 Europeans
46
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