UK pays Kenyans £20 million for the torture during colonial rule

Britain on Thursday announced its first ever financial compensation for those tortured under its rule. 

In a development that could pave the way for many other claims from around the world including from India, UK foreign secretary William Hague announced a compensation payment of £19.9 million for 5,22 8elderly Kenyans tortured during the Mau Mau uprising.

UK has also said it will support the construction of a memorial in Nairobi to the victims of torture and ill-treatment during the colonial era. 

Hague admitted that the British used capital punishment on a large scale and sanctioned harsh prison regimes in their colonies. 

He said, "The British Government recognizes that Kenyans were subject to torture and other forms of ill treatment at the hands of the colonial administration. The government sincerely regrets that these abuses took place, and that they marred Kenya's progress towards independence. Torture and ill treatment are abhorrent violations of human dignity which we unreservedly condemn." 

In December this year, Kenya will mark its 50th anniversary of independence from Britain.

During the eight-year Mau Mau insurgency, up to 30,000 Kenyan deaths were recorded, both insurgent and loyalist. Around 80,000 to 300,000 people were detained in a network of camps, where many were tortured.