NAIROBI, Aug 31: Kenya’s government has lifted a ban on the Mau Mau movement which spearheaded an uprising against British colonialists in Kenya in the 1950s, a minister said on Sunday.

Security Minister Chris Murungaru said he had scrapped the colonial-era legislation which outlawed the Mau Mau and branded them “terrorists” after accusing them of conducting secret rituals to kill white settlers and their African supporters.

“I have gazetted the lifting of the ban of Mau Mau as an organisation, in effect recognising Mau Mau as freedom fighters and not terrorists,” Mr Murungaru told Reuters by telephone.

The Mau Mau uprising pushed the East African country towards black rule and independence in 1963. They have long complained their role had not been appropriately recognized and accuse post-independence governments of neglecting them.

Lifting the ban could open the way for a claim from the surviving fighters for compensation from the British government for the torture they say then endured during the rebellion.

Most Mau Mau had property, cattle, farmland and food confiscated in a tough British campaign of dispossession and detention. Many today live in poverty.

However, Mr Murungaru said lifting the ban was not linked to the move for compensation, but was instead motivated by the recognition of the role the Mau Mau had in bringing independence.

“Mau Mau had tremendous contribution to the liberation of this country,” Mr Murungaru said.

The government of President Mwai Kibaki, which swept to power in December on a populist platform, is preparing to mark 40 years of Kenya’s independence later in the year.

The government also plans to build a “Heroes Square” to honour thousands of men and women for their role in resisting colonial rule.—Reuters