leonard koinange is elizabeth's sixth child and he is my great uncle.and was a child during the 1950s, when his father, senior chief koinange, was detained during the mau mau uprising. the mau mau uprising was a revolt against european ownership of land. file: mau mau suspects were being checked prior to interrogation. all were members of the kikuyu, the tribe which has suffered most from the mau mau. a state of emergency was declared in kenya, and although it eventually led to the end of british rule, it was a tough time for my great—grandparents and for my uncle leonard. in 1952, my father was taken into detention. kenya had been declared emergency and he was detained — for the next seven years, he was in detention. we used to be children of a chief. we became beggars. we were being helped by those people we would have called poor. during now the mau mau, it was not only affecting our family, it affected other families. one of my aunties, who had i think there were nine children, my mother took them and already, she had taken two other children who be

today, there are hundreds of koinanges like me, spread around the world. my home in london to visit a woman very close to my heart who has never left kenya but has cultivated a globalfamily. we arejust heading up to my great—grandma's house. the road is quite bumpy because it is like a makeshift road. this is a shrine where most of my family are buried — my great—granddad, my granddad, his children and his five wives. my great—grandmother is the fifth wife out of six. we are heading up to my great—grandma's home. she lives right by the side of where my great—granddad used to live, and i am really excited to see her. here she is! hi! hello! how are you? i'm fine. it is good to see you. good to see you. she is fine. long time. long time, many years. this is my great—grandmother, elizabeth gathoni koinange. she is going to be 117. this is my great aunt irene, and she is here to help with the translations, because i can understand everything my great—grandmother tells me, but to speak kikuyu is really difficult. great—grandma elizabeth has lived on this land f

my great—grandmother, elizabeth koinange.scover the secrets of her long life, as she throws a party and reunites five generations of my family. this is kiambu, where i was born. it's about ten miles from nairobi, the capital of kenya. this fertile land has been home to the kikuyu tribe and to my family — the koinanges for at least six generations. today, there are hundreds of koinanges like me, spread around the world. i am returning from my home in london to visit a woman very close to my heart. who has never left kenya, but has cultivated a global family. we arejust heading up to my great—grandma's house. the road is quite bumpy because it is, like, a makeshift road. this is a shrine where most of my family are buried, my great grandad, my grandad, his children and his five wives. my great—grandmother is the fifth wife out of six. we're heading up to my great—grandmother's home, she lives right by the side of where my great grandad used to live and i'm really excited to see her. here she is. hi! hello! how are you? i'm fine

so what might party said was, all the koinanges, come and get your grandmother, york great—grandmothert of cake. hopefully when i'm old and 100 years old, i will be fed cake by all —— by all. all the people who come after me. it's a beautiful thing and i'm quite jealous, to be honest. so we are just going to wait... i'm going to choke. this cake is good. so we are just going to wait for my great—grandmother to where they are all taking a family picture. —— to go. 0nce all taking a family picture. —— to go. once we are all sat down, we will start will move into that area. 0rganising so many people is a tough task. everybody is keen to catch up. and while great—grandmother patiently waits, it is a chance to meet relatives i didn't know i had. do you know how we are related? meet relatives i didn't know i had. do you know how we are related ?|j belong do you know how we are related?” belong to the grandmother. he is my cousin. so his son is your dad? hello. high, high, high. thank you very much. i am your aunt. i am your aunt. people are so excited to see each other that they are socialis