An independence war veteran from Nyamira County has now accused the government of neglecting its heroes and giving them a colourful sent off once they die.
In an exclusive interview on Tuesday at his Mwongori backyard, Mzee Peter Manani, who worked with King African Rifles in Burma before returning to the county to fight white settlers, dismissed the government’s plans to remember men and women who have done extraordinary things to the nation.
Mr Manani, who is turning 96 in January, said he has never gotten assistance from the national or the county government despite making his ways to Mashujaa Day celebrations for years now.
“I was part of the team that fought for independence of our country. I gained experience from British forces when working with KAR and returned to the country in 1951 to wage a war with the colonialist. I operated in Borabu and we used to give them (settlers) sleepless nights,” said Manani.
Manani, who is currently suffering from prostate cancer and blurred vision, argues that the nation should change its tactics in handling its heroes and heroines.
“It may be someone’s son who becomes hero today and they treat them like some of us. The country will lose focus. It is high time those responsible improvised ways of rewarding those who have contributed significantly to the country’s history rather than waiting till they die and pretend to care for them. They haven’t done enough to reward us,” he says.
His message to President Uhuru Kenyatta is clear as he remembers the founding father, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, and the times they had during independence.
“I want to call upon my son (Uhuru Kenyatta) to remember us because you know we are many and no one bothers to know our whereabouts. The piece of land (in Borabu settlement scheme) that I was given by Mzee Kenyatta is not enough. I need food and clothing as I count my final days,” says Mr Manani.