'An eventful 15 Hours' It was Feb. 2nd 1953, my husband Felix, myself, and a friend of ours Willie Balabanoff decided to go to Kapenguria and see how the trial of Jomo Kenyatta and five other prisoners was progressing. It was very hot being February and we just had a Morris Utility which was our private car and also our farm vehicle. We arrived in Kapenguria in time for the afternoon court session. The court house was just like an average sized schoolroom. The six prisoners were sitting on the left hand side of the court with two askaris in charge. The magistrate was sitting at a table by himself on the right hand side of the court. The Clerk of the Court had a little table to himself and Mr Pritt QC also had a small table to himself in the centre of the Court. There were about 10 observers including ourselves sitting on benches at the back of the Court. Mr Pritt was standing in the centre when we arrived, pulling to pieces all the evidence that the Prosecutor was presenting. Mr Pritt was wearing a shirt without a collar and some very baggy trousers. The prisoners looked as if they were asleep. We were all a bit bored at the back of the court room. But then Mr Pritt started to scratch himself. He started scratching at the back of his neck ....... then he gradually came lower and lower down his back ..... we people at the back of him in the Court were fascinated. We felt that he could not go much lower down his back - but he did. Eventually he started to scratch between his buttocks. This was too much for us watching him and we started to laugh. Mr Pritt QC then turned round and screamed at us "If you people represent the British, I am ashamed to be called British". This unfortunately made us laugh all the more and Mr Pritt stormed out of the Court. The magistrate then called a recess and we all had to go out and sit on a bank outside the Court in the sun. At this time I was 8 1/2 months pregnant. The sun and sitting on the bank became too uncomfortable for me so I slipped back into the Court to sit on a bench again. Jomo Kenyatta said "Good Afternoon", I felt he was much better behaved than Mr Pritt. My husband then came into the Court and told me that there was to be no more trial this afternoon and that we had all been told to go home. On the way back to the farm the vehicle hit a big bump in the road and both the men got out of the vehicle and started to look underneath and around the front and back, and when I asked them what they were looking for, they said "The Baby"! Felix and I went to bed early that evening as were both tired. At about 9 pm I woke up with stomach pains. In those days we had what was called a 'Long Drop' as a toilet. Our 'Long Drop' had a very wonky floor as it was partially eaten by white ants. Felix had tied a rope to the door for me to hang ont (it took me a long time to work out that if the floor had collapsed, so would the door), but even today if I close my eyes I can see Felix sitting on a 44 gallon drum with a .303 rifle across his lap, keeping guard, while I sat on the toilet. Eventually it dawned on both of us that I was in labour and the pains were coming every 3 minutes ....... so we had to tear off to Kitale hospital 20 miles away. The next morning at 2.45 am our first child was born. So ended a very exciting 15 hours. (more - another story about turkeys!)       

EA Stud Book 1954 - Cattle - Frieslands - F. Berger, Mau Summit