The Kenya Defence Forces Old Comrades Association (DEFOCA) recently honored two surviving Kenyan World War II veterans, Private (Rtd) Mathengi Ngwiyo, aged 104, and Private (Rtd) Shadrack Twaraja M’twamwari, aged 102, in Meru County. They were awarded commemorative medals for their service in the Burma campaign as members of the King’s African Rifles.

• The veterans were enlisted in 1942 and 1943 respectively, serving the Crown for approximately four and three years.
• The ceremony was presided over by DEFOCA’s Managing Director, Brigadier Dixon Chivatsi, and attended by Defence Advisor at the UK High Commission, Brigadier Olly Bryant.
• The medals, some being replacements, signify a lifetime of service and sacrifice for peace, with initial medals often lost.