- Wanjugu said that the Kimathi family has been working privately with volunteers from different countries but their efforts have bore no fruit.
- The volunteers are from countries such as Argentina, Brazil and the United States of America.
Image: FILE
Freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi's daughter, Evelyn Wanjugu Kimathi has said the family is now optimistic about finding their father's remains with the use of technology.
Speaking to the Star on Thursday at the National Museums of Kenya, Wanjugu said that the search for the freedom fighter's unmarked grave has been long overdue.
"We started the search over 25 years ago, we have been to Kamiti Prison so many times but all our efforts have reached a dead end," she said.
Wanjugu said that the Kimathi family has been working privately with volunteers from different countries but their efforts have bore no fruit.
The volunteers are from countries such as Argentina, Brazil and the United States of America.
She hopes that a conversation she had with King Charles III during his visit to Kenya in November last year will culminate in the United Kingdom joining in the efforts to find Kimathi's grave and remains.
"Since 1963 when Kenya got independence what has hindered the British monarchs from doing their part?" Wanjugu asked.
She mentioned her frustration with the inadequate support from the monarch despite Dedan Kimathi's service to the British government.
"What has made the government including the late queen of England not do the necessary for a person who fought for the British against the Germans from 1941 to 1945," Wanjugu said.
In response to her request, Wanjugu says King Charles III was emotional and she hopes that the emotion will translate into action by the British government.
Wanjugu noted that although the process has been hard, the family is positive after a workshop organized by geologists that the process will be expedited and there will be a quick resolution.
The workshop, themed Unearthing the Past with Archeological Geophysics, focused on the challenges experienced in locating Dedan Kimathi’s grave while providing solutions through technology.
Some of the technologies that were highlighted during the workshop are osteology-study of animal bones and cartography -a graphical expression of the earth's features through maps, charts and globes.
"We have received support from Kenyans, especially Charles Osango, the family is indebted to him being the first Kenyan who showed interest in helping us with the search through archaeology," Wanjugu said.