Elizabeth Chepkemoi, 86, still vividly remembers when the armed British landed in her small village in Kericho County, Kenya, in the 1940s. our goats to bring them across the road,” she says. I saw it with my eyes. »
Like everyone else in the region, she lived with her family on communal land before being driven out. Thereafter, they needed a special pass to walk on the new territories of the white settlers, who cultivated tea. “Young people who entered without permission were beaten and forced to hold a rock over their head as punishment,” she said. “Who is supposed to be the original intruder, between a white and a native? she asks.
In 1895, the British began to rule Kenya. The survivors of the Kipsigi and Talai tribes encountered by The duty were deeply marked by the multiple colonial violence and land thefts that occurred in the region until 1963, when the country obtained its independence.
Local people lived in fear. “They were beating people up,” Elizabeth says. His grandfather died of it. Others were sent to the Gwassi detention camp, where the very difficult living conditions caused the death of several of them. “When I see white people, it burns my stomach, forget the old woman. If we are compensated and given back our land, I will forgive. »
Kenya is one of the largest tea exporters in the world and the fault line is very present between the indigenous rural reserves, where the displaced live, and the immense plantations of the county of Kericho. Survivors estimate that nearly 200,000 acres are now owned by multinational corporations that sell their tea around the world, such as Ekaterra — which owns the famous Lipton brand — Unilever, Finlays and Williamson Tea. These did not respond to the requests of the Duty.
The dark history of the region contrasts with its enchanting setting. The fields of verdant leaves, waving in the sun for miles along the road, form well-defined and manicured squares. Workers cut and harvest the tea leaves in large bags, under the gaze of police armed with rifles who monitor the plantations. In a field belonging to Ekaterra, the welcoming workers are reluctant to answer journalists’ questions. Quickly, we are directed to the managers.
“It’s beautiful here, it’s not surprising that the British settled there, drops Joel Kimetto, a leader of the Kipsigi clan. The companies make huge profits on the suffering of the people here, whose lands have been stolen. We want justice. In 2021, a UN report put the number of people who suffered violence under British rule that violated their rights at 500,000, including sexual violence, torture, killings, inhuman treatment, detention arbitrariness and forced displacement.
Legal fight
120,000 Kipsigis and Talais are currently represented by a team of lawyers from the UK and Kenya, who took legal action in 2014 following the support and intervention of the Kericho County government.
They have been busy collecting archival material in Kenya and the UK, as well as testimonies from survivors during the occupation. “At the time, there were no title deeds to the communal lands of Kipsigis and Talais. The titles were introduced by the government, which was of course colonial, explains one of the lawyers, Joel Kimutai Bosek. The British colonial administration recorded everything on paper, even how they burned down the houses. »
Steps have been taken before the National Land Commission and the Kenyan courts. And, last year, a lawsuit was filed against the UK government seeking redress in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), an international court whose convention was signed by the UK. The victims are demanding £168 billion ($280 billion CAD) in compensation and an apology from the UK.
“The British government is really stubborn and does not want to take responsibility for its actions or admit its responsibility, deplores Joel Kimutai Bosek. They don’t want to open a Pandora’s box. »
Asked to comment on the situation, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office responded in writing to the Duty acknowledging in 2013 that “Kenyans had been victims of mistreatment by the colonial administration”. “We regret that this historic mistreatment took place and that it hindered Kenya’s progress towards independence,” it added.
Cosmas Chepkwony Kipkoech, who lives on the outskirts of the city of Kericho, speaks of past injustices with restrained anger. “My grandfather was ousted and he told me the stories. My great-grandmother too”, underlines the young man of 25, who has just obtained his university degree in marketing. He assures that his generation has not forgotten. “It is a logic of supremacy of European countries. As was the case in North America, with the Cherokees or the Apaches, he says. The new King Charles should step in and do something. »
But some are more nuanced. “Neighbors bother us, they say that their parents or grandparents have been chased away, says Rono Chepkwony, manager of the Mau tea cooperative, owned by Kipsigis and which produces Tilya brand tea. But on the other hand, it is very difficult to prove that the information is true. Some will take advantage of it. »
The estate was owned by a white man and, as is sometimes the case in the area, a black man of means, Mark Too, bought it. He then sold it to the community in 2001. The community still uses traditional methods, which preserves a very high number of jobs in the community. It has nearly 500 workers on its plantation and in its black tea leaf processing plant.
“It gives power to our community, and it makes us self-sufficient,” says Rono Chepkwony, who insists that the managers of the multinationals established nearby do not come from the region. But he doesn’t see them as enemies. “They are competitors,” he said. Above all, we want to feel that we own our own things. »
This report was financed thanks to the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund.The duty.