Report From Battlefield
Murang’a Front
June 9, 1953: A combined force of KAR and police sent to Location 2 to fight General Kago’s force. Kago knew they were on the way. He moved his force to the Kîanderendû shopping center and waited for them. The enemy, as it was expected, stopped their vehicles at the shopping center to harass the people. Immediately they came out of their vehicles, Kago ordered his men to open fire. The enemy caught by surprise, could only return the fire as they retreated into their vehicles and took off. On KLFA side, there was no casualties. We collected 9 rifles and one machine-gun. I admire General Kago, he is a great General.
June 27, 1953: General Kago launched an attack on the Mûriranja hûmungati camp. He captured the camp and burned it down. Five Tribal policemen and six hûmungati were cut down with bullets. The rest of the enemy dropped their weapons and fled. The captives, in whom women were the majority, were freed. Some of them joined our force, the rest went home. The following day, the British forces attacked the village of Mûriranja, killing defenseless women and children, burned homes and savagely destroyed crops in the field. We shall never, ever, forget these barbaric atrocities committed by a foreign regime in our own country.
The same day, General Kago sent a guerilla unit of 10 men to eliminate Headman Moses of Location 13. He managed to escape with his life. His home was burned down and his cows confiscated in the name of our struggle.
July 20, 1953: The following report was sent by General Kago: Marshal, I want you to know that we ambushed an enemy force while entering the Nyandarwa forest; killing four African soldiers and wounding a white soldier, Stanley Davidson. The rest of the enemy soldiers scattered and fled. We seized two Bren-guns and three automatic rifles. This attack was reported by the East African Standard; it reads: A Special Police Officer, Stanley Davidson, the 41 year old soldier of fortune, who has sworn to get the Mau Mau leader, Dedan Kimathi, was wounded in an encounter with terrorists on the western [Nyandarwa]. The four African soldiers killed were not mentioned in the paper.
August 20, 1953: The Gacarageinî enemy post was overrun by General Kago’s force after a fierce gun fight battle. Unable to defend the post, the enemy took off, leaving the post defenseless. Several firearms were captured and 10 enemy defenders killed. This was the second time General Kago has attacked and destroyed the post.
October 8, 1953: The following message was sent by General Kago: Marshal, we attacked the Mîriaini enemy post for the second time. The enemy defenders put up a fierce fight, but we managed to storm the post and burned it down. We killed several enemies and captured five of them; I ordered them to be executed. We lost four comrades and two were wounded. We are celebrating our victory.
Kîmathi’s comment: We are not a gang of terrorists, we are freedom fighters; we are fighting a foreign enemy who has occupied our country. Live or die we shall never lay down our guns until we liberate our country.
Dedan Kîmathi Speaks
Maina Kînyattî, 1987