As the Queen of England celebrates becoming the country's longest-ruling leader, an old Kenyan woman has emerged announcing a challenge to Queen Elizabeth II on her Platinum Jubilee.
The woman identified as Muthoni Mathenge has told the German-based DW that she had survived inhumane torture by the British Army during the first years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, explaining that she demands compensation directly from the Queen.
She was tortured with axes during Kenya's struggle for independence from British colonial rule.
— DW News (@dwnews) June 2, 2022
As Britain celebrates the Platinum Jubilee of its monarch, this old fighter wants to send her a message: "Let Elizabeth bring what belongs to me." pic.twitter.com/EofKAOqFtW
Muthoni Mathenge, who is estimated to be in her 90s, told the German broadcaster that she was tortured with an ax by British soldiers in 1952, amid the Mau Mau uprising which began shortly after 25-years-old Elizabeth was crowned as Queen of England.
Married to a fighter in the Kenya Land and Freedom Army that was formed to resist the British colonization, Muthoni Mathenge was targeted by British soldiers who tried to track her husband.
@BBCWorld @Reuters @CNN As Kenyans we shall pass this information to our every single generation to remind the world the atrocities committed by British soldiers against Kenyans during colonial uprising.
— steve kinoti (@SteveKinoti) June 2, 2022
However, Muthoni Mathenge's attempts to protect her spouse resulted in soldiers torturing her, with marks still showing on her legs to this very day.
Muthoni Mathenge explained that in 1952, she and thousands of other Kenyans were arrested for resisting the British control.
During her detention, Muthoni says she and others were forced to bury their fellow comrades who were killed by the British, which was another form of torture in itself.
Consequently, Muthoni Mathenge is demanding proper compensation from the Queen of England for the horrors she saw prior to Kenya's independence in 1963, saying "Let Elizabeth bring what belongs to me".
Without having money for a lawyer Muthoni Mathenge has never been compensated for her suffering at the hands of the British colonists and lived a very different quality of life from us. https://t.co/J2byrLhhV7
— Foggii ??????? ?? ???? (@Foggii) June 4, 2022
In 2013, 5,000 former Kenyan fighters received financial compensation for the damage they experienced during British rule. However, Muthoni Mathenge was not one of them.
If you're celebrating the jubilee, you're celebrating this woman's torture.
— Lady Squeak of the #LeftyLynchMob (@HighwaySqueak) June 3, 2022
Something must be done to cleanse this country of its sins. We can't change the past but we can own it, teach it, learn form it and make repartitions. #ReparationsNow #AbolishTheMonarchy #MuthoniMathenge https://t.co/z0rkY8LbP3
As Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Platinum Jubilee this week, Muthoni Mathenge took the chance to renew calls for compensation from the British monarch, igniting major online support.
Kenya fell under British rule between 1920 and 1963, during which local resistance movements were brutally handled by the British army, including a crackdown on the Kenya Land and Freedom Army also known as the Mau Ma group, resulting in their defeat in 1956.
