Ahead of Remembrance Sunday, British High Commissioner toKenya, Neil Wigan on Saturday November 9 presented replacement medals to 19 veterans who served in the British Army during World War II.
The medal replacement is part of a wider initiative to honour the vital role played by Kenyan veterans who took part in World War II and replace lost medals.
The event which was held in Nairobi was hosted by UK’s Defence Adviser Brigadier Olly Bryant and witnessed by Kenya Defence Forces and caregivers and families to the veterans.
Also in attendance was the Managing Director Kenya Defence Old Comrades Association, Brigadier Joakim Mwamburi and Sam Mattock,
The Councillor of the Embassy of the Order of Malta to Kenya, who has pioneered the efforts to honour the veterans.
Wigan said: “Today, we honour Kenyan heroes, whose bravery and sacrifice continues to resonate across
generations.
The medals they have received today are more than symbols they represent profound acts of courage, loyalty, and selflessness by men and women, many of whom travelled far from their homeland in service of a higher cause.
We acknowledge the great sacrifices made by so many in Kenya, who fought with the UK and our allies, and contributed to peace for us all.”
Sam Mattock said: “Veterans don’t often talk about their time in the military, and they rarely talk about the sometimes-daily hardships in their life journey post military service, but those memories are
never really far away.”
He said they are being honoured in a small way with these medals and this ceremony.
“Todays is not only about these 19 men, but also about all the others like them from Kenya, the
United Kingdom and from all over our great Commonwealth, whose service will never be
forgotten.”
In addition to replacing lost medals, the UK through the Royal Commonwealth initiative continues to support veterans and widows through welfare grants to support their family needs.
The grants, which are equivalent to the cost of two meals a day, have meant a significant improvement in the welfare of 829 Askaris and widows.
The initiative is administered through the British Legion (Kenya) with significant assistance from the Kenyan Defence Forces Old Comrades Association.
The re-presentation of medals ceremony is the fifth to take place on Kenyan soil with one having taken place earlier this year in Kakamega County where the British High Commissioner handed over medals to 15 veterans from Western Kenya region.
In 2023 November, during his visit to Kenya, His Majesty the King presented medals to four war veterans at the Kariokor Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Nairobi.
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