Gazette - 26/9/1923 - Voters Register - Kenya Province - Reginald Ernest Vere Denning, Settler PO Rumuruti

Gazette 6 Dec 1966 probate

David Christie-Miller papers, Bodleian Library Mss Afr.s.1676/1  Denning and his neighbour AW Hopcraft were bitter enemies. Denning protested at the false rumours and slanders spread about him by the European population of Naivasha. He had received anonymous letters accusing him of turning Kikuyu women into prostitutes. Denning and his headman were petitioned against by 50 Europeans. 'Denning has been a greater obstacle to law and order in my province than any other European... he has used his headman Paulo in connection with certain objectionable habits [sodomy].' He argued that his Kikuyu were loyal and trouble only came to his farm because of the Hopcraft family and the machinations of the police and the DC.

Memoirs of Robin Wainwright Bodleian Library Mss Brit.Emp.s.524  There was a difficult farmer called Denning who would not believe that his headman was a Mau Mau treasurer. He appealed to the attorney general, brought a civil suit for libel against Mervyn Hill, the editor of the Kenya Weekly News, which he lost, and he gave us much extra work. In the end we had to protect him from other farmers who tried to get hold of him to tar and feather him.