Hola was the site of a detention camp, the location of the
Hola massacre in 1959. Eleven
Mau Mau detainees were clubbed to death by prison wardens employed by the British. The victims were Mau Mau rebels being held in the camp as part of
Operation Anvil. After the Hola massacre the name 'Hola' was changed to Galole by the
colonial government so that this episode would be forgotten. In 1971, in a bid to revive African history, the then President
Jomo Kenyatta ordered that Galole revert to its original name. Kenyatta gave this order after he met with a large delegation from Tana River. Since then, Galole is again known as Hola. ==References==