Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga and the family of freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi have urged the government to use technology to trace his body.
Kimathi’s daughter Evelyn Wanjugu said reports received recently indicate that the freedom hero was buried with handcuffs and chains on his legs.
As a result, she said, the government can use technology including metal detectors to trace where the remains were buried.
Kimathi’s body is believed to have been buried at Kamiti Prison after his execution by the colonial government.
The fighter was shot in the leg at Karunaini area, Tetu in Nyeri county and captured on October 21, 1956 and executed on February 18, 1957.
Wanjugu who is also the CEO of Dedan Kimathi Foundation said Kimathi’s wife Mukami is ailing and the only way the government can honour her is by giving her the husband’s body for burial.
It is time the government gives the freedom fighter a befitting burial for the good work he did when fighting for independence, she said.
"We ought to remember and appreciate our freedom fighters for the good work that they did. We call on the government to trace Kimathi’s remains so that he can be given a decent burial," she said.
She said it is common knowledge that the freedom fighter’s remains are at Kamiti Prison and there are people who know where they are.
They include the surviving prison officers who worked at Kamiti where the freedom fighter is believed to be buried, she said.
Che Guevara, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary, she said, was searched in a whole province until his remains were found.
Wanjugu wondered why the same effort can't be applied on Kimathi who is on a very small area of Kamiti prison.
"We as the family, freedom fighters who fought along with him and their children implore upon the government to give us the body so that we can give him a befitting burial and bring the whole issue to rest," she said.
She said the UK government is well aware of where the body lies saying if they were able to trace his court file after 50 years, then they must have documents which indicate the exact place where he was buried.
Wanjugu spoke on Tuesday during the commemoration of the 63rd anniversary since the capture of Kimathi.
The event was held at Dedan Kimathi Memorial Secondary School in Tetu, Nyeri county and attracted thousands of people.
She thanked the county government for remembering her father by building the Sh10 million statue at Karuna-ini area where he was captured.
The Nyeri government has already erected a monument in honour of the freedom fighter.
Kahiga said there are advanced gadgets that can be used to look for the remains and have a DNA conducted to verify if the remains are for the freedom fighters.
The governor said though the Kimathi statue has been completed, there are other construction works going on at the area.
He hoped that President Uhuru Kenyatta will visit the area to officially unveil the statue when the work is completed.
Kahiga said the world will forever recognise Kimathi as a freedom fighter and a liberator despite the colonialists branding him a terrorist and a dangerous man.
The county chief said Nyeri will reach out to the national government to set aside more land for a resource centre in honour of Kimathi and other fighters.
Kahiga said freedom fighters will be recognised by ensuring they all have BIMA health cover provide by the NHIF and paid for by the county government.
He said he will work towards ensuring that all those living in the 33 former colonial villages are given title deeds.
