The royal couple arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday and were received by President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto at the State House. They also visited the Uhuru Gardens, where they laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and saw the site where Kenya’s independence was declared in 1963.
However, many Kenyans are not impressed by the royal visit and have demanded that King Charles acknowledge and apologize for the atrocities committed by the British during the colonial era, especially during the Mau Mau uprising of 1952-1960. According to the Kenya Human Rights Commission, about 90,000 Kenyans were killed or maimed, and 160,000 were detained during the rebellion.
In 2013, the UK government expressed regret for the abuses and agreed to pay 20 million pounds to more than 5,000 Kenyan victims. However, many Kenyans feel this was insufficient and that the monarchy should also take responsibility for its role in the colonial system.
“We have to demand public apology from the government of the British because of the atrocities they meted on us,” said Kipchoge araap Chomu, a descendant of Koitalel Arap Samoie, a Nandi leader who resisted British occupation until he was assassinated in 1905.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement that King Charles will “take time during the visit to deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered in this period by the people of Kenya.” However, it did not mention whether he would offer any apology or reparations.
The royal visit also comes when some former British colonies are re-evaluating their ties to the monarchy and seeking to become republics. In 2021, Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state, and Jamaica has indicated that it may follow suit.
King Charles, who surprised many by acknowledging slavery’s role in the Commonwealth’s roots at last year’s summit, is expected to meet with various groups of Kenyans, including entrepreneurs, faith leaders, young people, and environmental activists. He will also visit Mombasa, where he will see a joint training exercise between Kenyan and British marines.
The royal couple will leave Kenya on Friday and return to Britain. Their visit is seen as an opportunity to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries, which cooperate on trade, security, development, and climate change issues.
However, some analysts say that the visit also exposes the unresolved legacy of colonialism and its impact on the present-day realities of former British colonies.
“The current rhetoric, pageantry, and colonial nostalgia around her death reinforces this refusal to acknowledge and deal with this imperial history–a history that defines so much of our current moment, that defines what Britain is,” said Anna Arabindan-Kesson, a professor of Black diasporic art at Princeton University.
Source: Zawya
