Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the title and wording of the memorial in Nairobi to those who suffered during the Emergency period of 1952 to 1963 will indicate that it is a memorial to all those who suffered, on all sides, during that period.

The UK is working with the Kenyan Human Rights Commission, the Mau Mau War Veterans Association, the Nairobi Governor’s Office, and the National Museums of Kenya to make sure the proposed memorial is as inclusive as possible and promotes reconciliation. The Overseas Service Pensioners’ Association (OSPA) has also been fully consulted.

The first plaque will state: ‘This memorial is a symbol of reconciliation between the British Government, the Mau Mau, and all those who suffered during the Emergency Period’.

The proposed title of the memorial is: ‘Memorial to the Victims of Torture and Ill-Treatment during the Colonial Era (1952-1963)’. This reflects the wording of the settlement agreement and the announcement made by the then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on 6 June 2013.