London, United Kingdom – King Charles III is set to make a significant step during his visit to Kenya next week, as he prepares to acknowledge and address the “more painful aspects” of the historical relationship between the United Kingdom and Kenya, as revealed by Buckingham Palace.
This four-day visit, commencing on Tuesday, coincides with Kenya’s celebration of 60 years of independence from British colonial rule. Accompanying King Charles will be his wife, Queen Camilla.
The Mau Mau uprising, a turbulent period marked by the loss of thousands of lives, played a pivotal role in Kenya’s journey towards independence in 1963. It is widely regarded as one of the darkest chapters in Britain’s imperial history.
The rebellion, led by members of the Kikuyu tribe, the largest ethnic group in Kenya, posed a significant challenge to the British colonialists in the 1950s. In response, a “state of emergency” was declared, leading to the detention of approximately 160,000 Kenyans. Shockingly, an estimated 90,000 individuals in custody suffered torture, mutilation, or death, according to the Kenyan Human Rights Commission. The conditions in the squalid detention camps were so severe that even Britain’s colonial-era attorney-general likened them to Nazi Germany.
King Charles’s upcoming royal visit will predominantly emphasize the strong bonds and connections shared by the United Kingdom and Kenya. Chris Fitzgerald, the King’s deputy private secretary, outlined that the trip would “celebrate the close links between the British and Kenyan people in areas such as the creative arts, technology, enterprise, education, and innovation.”
Fitzgerald further noted, “The visit will also acknowledge the more painful aspects of the UK and Kenya’s shared history, including the Emergency… His Majesty will take time during the visit to deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered in this period by the people of Kenya.”
In the days leading up to the royal visit, leaders of the Nandi community have called for the return of a leader’s skull, Koitalel arap Samoei, who was killed by the British in 1905 and is believed to be held in a UK museum, as reported by Kenya’s The Nation newspaper. The Nandi elders are also demanding the repatriation of other cultural artifacts stolen during colonial rule, along with compensation for the atrocities endured by the Nandi community.