The British government has officially handed over a significant collection of digitized archives to Kenya, which includes crucial documents from the era of British colonial rule.
This extensive archive, featuring materials related to the Mau Mau insurgency and key figures such as the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, was presented by British High Commissioner Neil Wigan OBE to President William Ruto during a ceremony marking the inscription of the Gedi national monument as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The archive comprises 2,658 files and over 300,000 images, detailing various aspects of Kenya’s colonial past. These include records of the Mau Mau uprising, accounts of collective punishment and detainees, discussions surrounding Kenya’s constitutional development in 1961, as well as intelligence files on notable personalities such as Jomo Kenyatta, Paul Ngei, Oginga Odinga, and Daniel Arap Moi, among others.
High Commissioner Wigan emphasized that these archives provide Kenyans with a valuable opportunity to explore and narrate their own history. “These records, spanning from 1907 to 1968, offer a window into our shared past, enabling Kenyans to reflect on their history with greater clarity,” he stated.
To aid in the cataloging and preservation of this wealth of information, the British High Commission has pledged financial support for the National Archives. This will include the provision of new technology, such as computers and a modern digital database, to help safeguard Kenya’s rich heritage for future generations.
