Death of Queen Elizabeth draws mixed reactions from former British colonies in Africa

Read the Full Transcript

• Judy Woodruff:

  World leaders are preparing to gather in London for the queen's funeral on Monday.

  While glowing tributes continue to pour in, her death has also sparked painful memories and anger among several former British colonies, many of which fought violent struggles for independence, and her passing has prompted a wider conversation about the role the British monarchy has had in their oppression.

  Special correspondent Isabel Nakirya has this report from one of those former colonies, Kenya.

• Isabel Nakirya:

  Ninety-eight-year-old Peter Ndegwa paid a price for Kenya's freedom. He is one of the few surviving fighters who took part in the uprising against British colonial rule beginning in 1952.

  Ndegwa and hundreds of other Mau Mau fighters rebelled for nearly a decade against their mistreatment and torture under the British.

• Peter Ndegwa, Kenyan Freedom Fighter (through translator):

  The white man wanted all our harvests. He wanted our forests. We were being beaten, told to kneel down with our hands up, and flogged without clothes.

• Isabel Nakirya:

  Ndegwa was put in detention in September 1952 and subjected to hard labor for more than five years. Many of his friends were killed. It's believed 90,000 Kenyans may have been executed during that time.

• Peter Ndegwa (through translator):

  I was one of the four people to be hanged. But, fortunately, I was not hanged.

• Isabel Nakirya:

  Many Kenyans here describe the oppression and the colonial rule as slavery, pointing to their exploitation on road and railway constructions, as well as farms owned by the British.

  Alice Waweru is over 90 years old and says she endured over 15 years of mistreatment working on road construction in Kenya.

  Alice Waweru, Survivor of British Colonial Rule (through translator): There were no roads. We were the ones who created roads. The white man despised us. Our children were being called maize cobs. They were not seen as children. We carried heavy loads on our backs to construct roads.

• Isabel Nakirya:

  For many here, the memory of British rule is painful. They recall a time when unknown numbers of Kenyans were marginalized and properties grabbed.

  Many of the people who participated in the fight for freedom in this area lost their lives, while others died of their injuries after allegedly being tortured by the British colonialists. They are relieved that their efforts led to the freedom that Kenya gained, but feel disappointed that there has not been any compensation from the British government.

  Indeed, Kenya gained independence in 1963. But the victims of oppression here aren't sorry about the queen's death, because they say she offered no apologies even after making several visits to former colonies in Africa. A similar uprising broke out in South Africa. Freedom fighters, such as former South African President Nelson Mandela, were detained for decades and faced torture in prison cells.

  Despite the queen's personally warm relationship with Nelson Mandela after his release in 1990, some South Africans feel she should have acknowledged atrocities by the British, and they are calling for an end to any nostalgia under the British monarchy.

• Mbulelo Dwane, Black People's National Crisis Committee:

  The monarch has never — has never produced, has never done anything positive to South Africa and Africa. There's nothing positive that the monarch has ever done.

• Isabel Nakirya:

  Still, several African leaders have sent kind messages of condolences and have praised her efforts to restore friendly ties with former colonies.

  Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda: I saw her driving in a ceremonial car with Nelson Mandela, a longtime victim of colonialism in South Africa. That was part of her contribution to the mutating world, efforts for reconciliation.

• Isabel Nakirya:

  And as King Charles III takes over the throne, there are questions over whether Britain will now acknowledge the atrocities committed by British colonial masters.

  But for victims like Ndegwa, there is not much time left. And they may not live to seek compensation, that acknowledgement or even an apology.

  For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Isabel Nakirya in Nairobi.

Improved audio player available on our mobile page