Interview with Dr. Halim Gençoğlu
Dr. Gençoğlu, in the 1950s, an anti-colonial resistance movement against British colonial rule formed in what is now Kenya. What were the reasons for this uprising by the local population?
Well, the anti-colonial resistance movement in Kenya in the 1950s is best known as the Mau Mau uprising, although it was clearly a genocide. Several factors contributed to the indigenous population’s rebellion against British colonial rule. Firstly, the British colonial government pursued a policy that disrupted traditional land ownership and led to the expropriation of Kikuyu land. The Kikuyu community in particular faced major challenges when their fertile land was taken away by European settlers. Secondly, indigenous Kenyans faced economic exploitation as they often worked in harsh conditions for minimal wages on farms owned by Europeans. The colonial administration prioritized the interests of the European settlers over those of the indigenous population.
Another reason was the political marginalization of the Kenyan population, especially the Kikuyu. The British pursued a policy that restricted the participation of the indigenous population in political processes and thus increased the feeling of dissatisfaction and marginalization. The British also attempted to suppress native culture by imposing their own systems, including educational and legal structures. These measures fuelled further resentment and contributed to the radicalization of parts of the population.
The British fought the uprising with all their might and locked up around 1.5 million Kenyans in internment camps and heavily guarded villages. The US historian Caroline Elkins describes the internment camps as the “British Gulag” and the behavior of the British colonial rulers as “White Terror”. What do you think?
Yes, the work of Caroline Elkins, particularly her book “Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain’s Gulag in Kenya”, sheds light on the harsh and often brutal actions of the British colonial authorities during the Mau Mau uprising. The term “British Gulag” draws parallels to the system of forced labor camps in the Soviet Union and illustrates the harsh conditions and human rights violations in the internment camps in Kenya.
In fact, the British response to the Mau Mau rebellion was the mass internment of alleged insurgents and sympathizing civilians. The prisoners suffered from harsh conditions such as overcrowding, inadequate sanitary facilities and physical abuse. The British colonial administration pursued a policy of forced labor, and there are reports of torture and executions from this period. The establishment of concentration camps and “heavily guarded villages” was part of a broader strategy to suppress rebellion, but in reality constituted systematic ethnic cleansing. While some argue that these measures were necessary to maintain colonial control, others condemn them as a violation of human rights and a disproportionate response to the uprising. Historical evaluation often depends on the perspective of the observer. Critics argue that the British measures were exaggerated and represented a campaign of “white terror” against the indigenous population.
Some Kenyan victims who were tortured in British detention camps during the uprising have filed compensation claims against London. To what extent do such lawsuits have a chance of success and what can you say about the number of victims?
It is true that the British colonial authorities in Kenya were afraid of an imminent popular uprising in 1949. This fear led to a long series of arrests that eventually developed into one of the worst episodes of the colonial era. Among those arrested was Hussein Onyango Obama, a cook in his 50s. Obama, who was unexpectedly arrested, had dedicated a large part of his life to collaborating with the British. He served in both world wars with the King’s African Rifles and supported the Empire. In peacetime, he worked as a cook for British families in Kenya. It is noteworthy that he belonged to the Kenyan ethnic group of the Luo, while the emerging uprising was mainly led by members of the Kikuyu. Although Hussein Onyango Obama survived the British camps, his family reported that his everyday life was characterized by cruel and sometimes sexualized torture. This included squeezing his testicles with metal rods. This ordeal left a lasting impression on him and changed him fundamentally.
Over the years, there have been repeated cases in which former colonial rulers or their descendants have demanded reparations for historical injustice. However, these cases are often associated with difficulties relating to limitation periods, the jurisdiction of the courts and the difficulty of proving individual claims after a long period of time.
In 2012, British Foreign Secretary William Hague finally announced that the British government would pay 19.9 million pounds in compensation to more than 5,000 elderly Kenyans who had been tortured and abused during the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s. As Hague told the House of Commons, this payment represents a “full and final settlement” of a claim by five victims who had suffered under the British colonial administration. He acknowledged the pain and grief of the victims and emphasized that the British government recognizes that Kenyans were tortured and otherwise mistreated during the colonial era in Kenya.
The term Mezalim, borrowed from Arabic, stands for atrocities, excesses of violence, genocide and massacres against Muslims. How high was the proportion of Muslim victims in the Kikuyu uprising against the British colonial rulers?
The Mau Mau uprising in Kenya in the 1950s was primarily a conflict between the rebellious Kikuyu and the British colonial authorities. While the uprising had complex dynamics related to grievances over land ownership, political marginalization and economic inequality, it was not a religious conflict. The majority of those involved in the Mau Mau movement were Kikuyu, an ethnic group in Kenya that did not define itself by a particular religious identity.
It is important to approach historical events with a nuanced understanding of the specific context, including the social, economic and political dynamics at play during the Mau Mau uprising. In terms of the number of victims, the Mau Mau uprising affected a large proportion of the Kikuyu population and, to a lesser extent, other ethnic groups. Thousands of Kenyans were detained and many of them were reportedly mistreated and tortured in the detention centers. The exact number of victims is difficult to determine due to the historical context and the limited number of records available, but is far higher than the figures provided by the British authorities. The movement played a decisive role on Kenya’s path to independence, which was finally achieved in 1963. The movement helped to raise international awareness of anti-colonial struggles and influenced the broader process of decolonization in Africa.
The crimes of British colonial officials, which went undetected and unpunished for decades, are now anchored in history. The crimes included castrations, rapes and repeated cases of extreme violence. Despite the many years that have passed, the physical and psychological scars are still there.
Therefore, discussions about Mezalim, which usually refer to attacks against Muslims, cannot be directly applied to the Mau Mau riot. The victims of the conflict were primarily Kikuyu, regardless of their religious affiliation, and the nature of the conflict was rooted in broader issues of colonial oppression.
During the colonial period in Kenya, the British administration pursued different policies towards the various Muslims living in the country. Muslims of Arab descent were at the top and Muslims of African descent at the bottom of the racist hierarchy. The division among Muslims and the British colonial legacy continue to have an impact to this day. What is your impression?
In Kenya, around 10.91 percent of the population belong to Islam, with the majority being Sunni Muslims who predominantly follow the Shafiite rite. The Muslim community was confronted with the effects of British colonialism during the Mau Mau massacre, resulting in persistent socio-economic hierarchies based on ethnicity. The persistent divisions among Muslims reflect historical inequalities and demonstrate the importance of addressing these issues to promote unity and integration. Unfortunately, Muslims were also degraded to second-class citizens during British rule in Kenya.
During the British colonial period, most Muslims, like other ethnic groups, were socially discriminated against. This continued after Kenya’s independence, and when the Kikuyu took power, a new elite emerged, bringing their own people into the state administration and buying up large tracts of land across the country. What is the current situation of the Muslim minority in Kenya?
The current situation of the Muslim minority in Kenya is characterized by various factors, including historical heritage and socio-economic dynamics. Despite efforts to combat discrimination, challenges such as unequal distribution of resources and political power imbalances remain. A comprehensive understanding of the current situation of the Muslim minority requires consideration of current social, economic and political developments. Muslims live mainly in the coastal regions and in the north-east of the country, with Nairobi being home to a significant Muslim population and several mosques. Swahili Muslims, who play an important role in the coastal regions and in the Western Province, live together with smaller groups of Somali, Arab and South Asian Muslims. The Constitution grants religious Shari’ah courts, known as Kadhi courts, jurisdiction over certain civil matters. Muslims have expressed concern about discrimination by the government, particularly after the bombings of the US embassy in Nairobi and elsewhere in 1998. The British colonial legacy has had a huge negative impact on the Muslim community in Kenya.
Dr. Gençoğlu, thank you for the interview.