William Hague calls for torture files to be made public

HIGHLY sensitive documents revealing the torture of Mau Mau Kenyans at the hands of the British authorities were a "sort of guilty secret" for the UK government, a report has found.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the documents, which detail how detainees were castrated, beaten and sexually abused while in British camps, should now be made public.

His announcement comes as a High Court judge is set to decide whether the UK Government, which sanctioned "systematic violence" in the detention camps, is liable for the torture of the Mau Mau people between 1952 and 1961.

Last month, the High Court heard how Ndiku Mutua, Paulo Nzili, Wambugu Wa Nyingi and Jane Muthoni Mara, who are in their 70s and 80s, were subjected to appalling abuse at the hands of the British authorities.

Mr Mutua and Mr Nzili were castrated while Mr Nyingi was beaten unconscious during an incident in which 11 men were clubbed to death. Mrs Mara was also subjected to horrendous sexual abuse.

All four want the British government to issue a "statement of regret" and pay around 2 million into a welfare fund for the hundreds of victims still alive.

The Kenyans' legal team say they have only been able to bring the case now because of recent historical research and the release of secret files.