King Charles in Kenya: “There can be no excuse” Nairobi crowned best travel city in the world: this is what the Kenyan capital has to offer

Britain’s King Charles III looked concerned as he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Charles (74) and his wife Queen Camilla (76) were received with military honors on Tuesday by Kenyan President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel at the start of a multi-day trip.

It is the couple’s first visit to a Commonwealth country since Charles took the throne last year. The reason for the trip is the 60th anniversary of the country’s independence from the British Empire, but that’s not just a cause for celebration. The sometimes brutal past of the British Empire has not been forgotten in Kenya and casts a shadow over the visit. Charles faces calls for an apology.

Maybe that’s why Charles’ forehead wrinkled. The king is not indifferent to the injustice committed in the name of his country, the palace made clear when the trip was announced.

Past crimes

“We must also acknowledge the most painful times in our long and complex relationship,” Charles said at a state banquet on Tuesday evening, the palace said. The misdeeds of the past are a cause for the greatest sorrow and deepest regret. “Heinous and unjustified acts of violence have been committed against Kenyans who, as you said at the United Nations, have been waging a difficult struggle for independence and sovereignty,” Charles said, the statement said. “And there can be no excuse for that.”

Charles said it was extremely important for him to learn more about these injustices and meet people whose lives and communities had been so badly affected during his visit to Kenya. It was already assumed in advance that there would probably not be an explicit apology – if only because Charles was traveling on behalf of the British government – and so far they have not been able to bring themselves to apologize.

In the run-up to the visit, Kenyans had made numerous demands to the royal family. The National Human Rights Commission renewed its push for the return of the skull and clothing of the Nandi people’s leader, Koitalel Arap Samoei, who led the Nandi resistance against British colonial rule and was assassinated in 1905.

63 billion euros in reparations

In addition, tribal elders of the Pokot ethnic group demanded reparations amounting to approximately €63 billion for the killing of almost 2,000 people in the town of Kepenguria and surrounding communities in northwestern Kenya, as well as for the unlawful arrest of numerous other resistance fighters.

Freedom fighters from the former Mau Mau rebel group are demanding information about the whereabouts of the body of their leader Dedan Kimathi, one of Kenya’s leading freedom fighters, who was executed in 1957 and buried at an unknown location. Former Kenyan Minister of Justice and human rights activist Martha Karua (2005-2009) emphasized: “We expect a clear apology [von König Charles]. Otherwise the visit is pointless.”

The government in London, on the other hand, will likely rely on Charles and Camilla to appease Kenyans with a royal charm offensive. Images such as the modest visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the cheering of students at a Charles’ Prince’s Trust training center are likely to contribute to this.

The king’s talks in Kenya are also likely to cover topics such as cooperation between the two countries in the fight against climate change, youth empowerment and political stability in the region. Charles is particularly interested in climate protection. The British news agency PA reported that his plane ran on 40 percent sustainable fuel at the express request of the king. (sda/dpa)