The Kenyans’ pledge of mbuzi for Agaciro

Kenyans in Rwanda were at it yet again last Saturday. This time to celebrate Mashujaa Day, as well as express solidarity with their hosts with a pledge of “mbuzi” for Agaciro.Mashujaa Day is one of the important days on the Kenyan calendar, with this year’s celebrations attended by Kenya Defence Forces personnel and other notable Kenyans “passing through” Kigali.Understandably, the presence of the KDF personnel added to the sense of patriotism, with the Kenyans still euphoric with the KDF “heroic” role in liberating Somalia from al Shabaab militants. The personnel were part of the Kenyan contingent participating in the joint East Africa military exercises ending this week.Formerly known as Kenyatta Day, it was renamed Mashujaa (Heroes) with the promulgation of the Kenyan Constitution in August 2010.The Day honours and commemorates all who contributed to the struggle for Kenya’s independence.One, however, may not mention the Kenyan struggle without mentioning the Mau-Mau rebellion of the 1950s that the British colonialists sought to firmly put down in whatever manner they could. Over 70,000 Mau-Mau suspects were imprisoned in a bid to clamp down on the insurgency in the lead up to Kenya’s independence in 1963.It now seems, as the English saying goes, the chickens have come home to roost. Three elderly Kenyans won an historic legal battle earlier this month against the British government after the High Court gave them permission to claim damages for the atrocities committed on them when imprisoned during the Mau-Mau rebellion.The claimants, a 73 year-old woman and two men aged 83 and 85, say they suffered extreme brutality that included castrations, severe beatings and sexual assault during the rebellion.Last year the High Court rejected the British government’s claim that they should be suing the Kenyan government as it had inherited Britain’s legal responsibilities on independence.In the ruling, this month the court also rejected the British government’s claim that too much time had elapsed for there to be a fair trial. An estimated 2,000 other Kenyan survivors are now expected to come forward to sue the British government.The case has broad implications and has attracted much global attention. For instance, veterans of the Eoka insurgency in Cyprus in the 1950s have been keeping a close eye on the Mau-Mau case with the hope to lodge their own about alleged atrocities under the British Empire.For all the world’s grievances against the British Empire, the three elders made history, of which one can expect they celebrated with some mbuzi when they got back home, which brings us to where we started.Mbuzi is the Kiswahili name for goat, favourite with Kenyans for its succulent roast meat popularly known as “nyama choma”, that many Rwandans are now familiar with.Culturally the goat was used as currency, or its meat used to celebrate or ritually observe important occasions, among some communities. Mbuzi is also euphemism for a token of appreciation. The Kenyans, under their Association in Rwanda (AKR), are “herding together the goats” in preparation for “kurudisha mkono (to return the hand, i.e., to give back in appreciation)” to their Rwandan hosts by contributing to Agaciro. Their contributions started at the Mashujaa Day celebrations and are steadily growing.The idea of Agaciro as a collective effort resonates with the Kenyans, of which their pledge of mbuzi is as good as money in the bank.Twitter: @gituram