BBC News, Peter Biles, BBC World Affairs Correspondent, 30 November 2012
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| The documents have been made public after more than 50 years |
Eleven
Kenyans were beaten to death by prison warders at the Hola detention camp.
Dozens more were injured.
There were
no prosecutions after the Hola massacre.
Survivor
Wambugu Wa Nyingi is one of three Kenyans currently suing the UK government for
alleged torture.
The newly
declassified documents reveal that in 1958 there were serious problems of
discipline at the Hola detention camp near Garissa, eastern Kenya, where Mau
Mau suspects were being held.
Poison
theory
Detainees
complained of being treated "like slaves" while carrying out enforced
work on an irrigation scheme. Another grievance was over their diet, which they
claimed was responsible for many diseases.
On 3 March,
1959, 11 Kenyans died at Hola. Initial public statements suggested the men had
been poisoned by contaminated water.
But three
days later, Kenya's governor, Evelyn Baring, wrote to the secretary of state
for the colonies, Alan Lennox-Boyd, saying preliminary reports had been
"misleading".
"(The)
result of first three autopsies is that in each case, death was due to
violence", said the governor's telegram to London.
The
colonial secretary began to demand daily updates from Nairobi.
"I am
sure you will understand my anxiety to have fullest possible information by
morning of Tuesday March 10 at the latest. Please let me know what further
publicity you propose and whether or not disciplinary proceedings or charges
are likely to follow from these findings", wrote Mr Lennox-Boyd.
On 9 March,
Mr Baring sent this telegram to London: "The injuries are reported to be
consistent with being caused by heavy sticks or batons and/or boots".
In
Parliament, the colonial secretary was to face awkward questions about whether
the government had, in effect, had a plan authorising the unlawful use of
violence against detainees in Kenya.
Mr
Lennox-Boyd wanted to establish how many British officers and African warders
were alleged to have been implicated in the assaults on detainees at Hola.
The
governor replied that two European prison officers had been in charge. He said
there were also 40 warders with batons, supervising the prisoners at work, and
a special platoon of 51 warders as a riot squad, equipped with batons and
shields.
'Flowery
officialese'
As an
inquest got under way in Nairobi in March 1959, Mr Baring sent another cable to
London about the proceedings: "Government Chemist told of examination
water from cart and stomach contents. Both negative, no poisonous substances
found".
The hearing
on 26 March saw the Hola camp commandant, Michael Sullivan, giving evidence.
The
telegram from Government House in Nairobi to the Secretary of State read:
"Sullivan proved very bad witness. An unintelligent man with poor
education. He would not directly answer questions but took refuge in rambling
statements couched in flowery officialese. Magistrate not impressed".
Summing up
the magistrate's findings, Mr Baring told London: "Broadly, death was
caused by shock and haemorrhage due to multiple bruising caused by
violence".
He went on:
"Evidence as a whole so conflicting and unreliable that impossible to be
certain of exact happenings on March 3 when things got out of control of one
man"..... "Not a single witness of Hola Prison Staff, warders or
detainees made any real attempt to tell truth".
In May
1959, the colonial secretary wrote again to Mr Baring: "Public opinion is
extremely sensitive on Hola problem.... I am sure you will agree we should try
to let this unhappy incident drop out of sight as soon as possible".
Mr Wa
Nyingi and his two fellow claimants won a legal case in the UK in October to
make a claim against the British government.
The
government accepts that the colonial administration tortured detainees, but
denies liability .
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