Thank you for downloading our history programme Witness from the BBC World Service.

I'm Louis Adagogo and today I'm taking you back 60 years to 1956 and the height of the British

battle against Mao Mao rebels in Kenya. The authorities and the

British battle against Maumau rebels in Kenya.

The authorities had locked up thousands of suspected Maumau

supporters in internment camps where some were tortured.

And then in October of 1956 1956 the Maumau leader Dedan Kimati was

caught.

To the little town of Nairi in Kukoya territory, Kenya Police bring the biggest prize of the anti-terrorist

campaign, De Dan Kimathi, self-styled field marshal of the Ma'amau organization.

Kimathi was wearing a leopard skin jacket and cap.

Half disguise, half uniform, when they ambushed and wounded him.

By the time that Dad and Kimathie, the Marlido was captured, there were no more than around 2 250

my fighters left in the forests and by then the colonial authorities had been

very effective in isolating these groups and cutting them off from their support.

Professor David Anderson is one of the leading chroniclers of the Maumau.

The leading special branch officer in Kenya, named Ian Henderson had targeted Kamathi

and they'd sent into the forests a number of mamau turncoats who'd been captured

and had been persuaded to fight for the British.

And on the morning of 21st of October, Henderson arranged an ambush for Camathie and his group.

Camathie saw them coming, made a run for it, and all that morning he was chased through

the forests and eventually at around 930 on that morning he tried to break out of the

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